Dark Matter
by LovelyDove97
Summary: Artemis tries to help her friend fix his "time machine" but is surprised when it actually works. Due to an accident, she is sent to the year 2232 and literally runs into James T. Kirk, future captain of the Enterprise. Will she be able to go home, or find a new life and a reason to stay? (Sorry I suck at summaries.)
1. Chapter 1

I needed to focus. I was sitting in my classroom, trying to remember the vocabulary from Chapter 14 of my Advanced Physics. Staring at the paper, I decided that I really was going to become a stripper. What was the point of studying so much for a degree which wouldn't guarantee me a job, all while digging myself deeper and deeper into debt? I placed my head on the cool table in front of my and inhaled deeply, not wanting to fail the test despite just deciding to be a stripper. Just as the definition came to me, my Professor called out; "Pencils down! You have just completed the semester final for my class." I placed my pencil down and groaned as the incomplete page stared back at me. "Now, most years half of my class fails this test, and if you do, I suggest dropping the class next semester, you can always come back next year, however the second semester is twice the workload."

I groaned as passed my paper to my right, not wanting to look at it anymore. Once the papers made it to the person in the front right seat, he slid out of his seat and handed them to the waiting Professor. She nodded and we all stood at once, as if our minds were synchronized. Filling out of the classroom, I pulled my phone from my backpack and switched it back on. As my screen flashed the red _Verizon_ logo, I exited the building and was greeted by a raindrop on my face. I smiled as the cool drop slid down my cheek and off my chin. I placed my finger on the back of my Google Pixel and it unlocked, revealing my wallpaper which was my favorite photograph of myself and my boyfriend of five years standing in front of the beach on vacation this year.

As I smiled down at our faces, my phone vibrated and alerted me of a text. I opened the app and saw that my best friend, Graham needed my help in the lab. I replied quickly, telling him I'd be right over. Once it sent, I pocketed the device, pulled my hood over my head, and made my way to the lab.

"Graham?" I called out once I entered the dark building. "Graham?"

"In here!" He called back, his voice seemingly coming from two doors down and to my left. I followed the sound of his voice, then threw the door open. I knew I was in the correct room when I saw his brown hair swaying in the dimly light room.

"Found you." I grinned, but I wiped the smile off of my face once he turned to look at me, revealing what he was working on. "You actually did it?" I demanded to know, rushing forward, my jaw dropped in awe. He stepped aside, gesturing to the metal contraption to his left. It was about 6 feet tall, circular on the bottom but came to a rounded point on top. There were three lights on the outside, which looked eerily familiar. In the dim light, it was difficult to see, but it looked as if he had welded together a bunch of scrap metal in order to make the device. "You were the one who stole the street light? How did you even pull that off?"

"I have my contacts." He smiled wickedly. "As you can see, I have spent a lot of time getting this ready."

I inched closer, astounded by the ability Graham had. "Does it work?" I asked. His smiled only grew as he nodded. "How?!" I demanded, reaching out and touching the cool metal. "Have you used it?"

"I have, but at the same time, I haven't." His smiled faltered slightly. "I sent a puppy back, and found it as a dog today." He pulled his phone out and showed me a photograph of a grown Golden Retriever with a white mark on its forehead. He then showed me a photo of a puppy with a matching mark.

"You could have faked it." I shrugged, trying to not be too impressed. I pulled on the latch which swung the metal door open. "Anyways, why have you called me here, and you Professor or a board if you have a working time machine?"

This is when his smiled disappeared completely. "It only worked the one time. I tried to send myself back, but it started overheating and I had to turn it off before…" He trailed off, his eyes moving to the ground. "It runs on Dark Matter."

I pulled away from the device, terrified to even be in the same universe as it. "What? How did you manage that?"

"I have my sources." He shrugged, not telling me anything else.

We stood in an awkward silence as I processed what he had just told me. "Show me." I demanded, turning to my insane friend. "I need to see it."

He nodded grimily, then walked over to a desk and grabbed a wrench. He gestured for me to follow him to the back of the device. I followed closely and watched as he knelt, and then used the wrench to open a panel I didn't know was there. He lay on his stomach then, and reached his hand inside. He seemed to rummage around for a moment, but then produced a glass tank with an odd substance inside.

It was a ball of black energy, about a centimeter in diameter, and it was floating in the center of the glass cylinder and seemed to have a slight glow to it. He waved it in front of my face, grinning madly. "It only takes that much?" I asked, staring at the tiny ball.

"It only takes that much." He nodded, but frowned quickly. "Something isn't working right. I'll step inside and try to send myself back," He placed the container back inside and I watched closely. "You stay down here and try to see what is going wrong, okay?"

"I don't know," I said, frowning deeply. "Not only is this untested, but we have no idea what Dark Matter can do when stressed and-"

"You'll be fine." He said, smiling at me. "Please, do I this favor?"

"Graham…" I said, watching his features. "How do we even know this really is Dark Matter? How trustworthy is your contact?"

"Please, Artemis?" He begged, quivering his lower lip. "We are on the verge of something groundbreaking! Wouldn't you want your name in the history books?"

I felt my heart jump up in my throat. I could be _someone_. I could be remembered long after I was gone, make a difference. "Alright." I sighed. "But you will be paying my hospital bills if something goes wrong. "

He stood and pulled me into a tight hug. "Thank you! You won't regret this!" He bounded over to the door of the machine and climbed inside. I heard a slight whirling sound which slowly grew louder I watched the inside of the machine and noticed that the Dark Matter was now stretched into a thin line which spanned the length of the glass tube. I frowned as I saw the blue glow around the circle and cursed as I tried to access the situation, but had no idea where to even begin with this.

Frantically I hit the machine. "Get out!" I yelled. Graham either didn't hear me, or didn't care because the sound still grew louder. I stood, not wanting to be anywhere near that, but then I heard a small _ping_ as the glass container fell out of the machine. "Oh shi-"I didn't even have time to curse my luck before the glass cracked. Instinctively I reached down to cover the crack, but that was my downfall. Just as my hand covered the crack, the matter expanded and latched onto me. I screamed, but nothing came out of my mouth, instead it expanded and covered my whole body, pulling into…something.

The only way I can describe what happened next was nothing. There was nothing. No color, no taste, no sound, no feeling. Just empty time. For all I know I could have been stuck in that state for weeks, months… years. My brain couldn't even process what was happening. One second I was in this…rip, the next thing I know, I am tumbling forward and landing on something hard. I scream and throw my arms up to cover my face, but I still feel something pierce my face and wince.

It takes me a moment to gain my bearings, but once I do get up, I turn and see headlights. I jump back and squeal, just as the vehicle goes by. I fall onto my rear and watch as the vehicle backs up, this is when I notice that it is a motorcycle. "Hello?" The man on the motorcycle calls. "Miss?"

I don't attempt to quiet my sobs as I crawl backwards, away from the stranger. "Don't come any closer!"

"Are you alright?" He asked, stopping in front of me. I saw then that he was very handsome, blonde hair, bright blue eyes and seemingly, friendly. "Miss?"

"Where am I?" I demanded, scooting back even farther from the dirt road.

"Iowa." He said. "You're in Iowa." He then frowned deeply. "How did you not know where you are? Were you kidnapped?" He reached an arm out and I stared at him. "Come on, I don't bite… Unless you asked me too." He chuckled to himself.

"I wasn't kidnapped." I said, standing and sniffling. "I… well I don't know what happened. A moment ago I was in a lab, helping… Graham!" I shook my head. What happened to him? "He had created a-"I cut myself off. Why was I telling a stranger this? "Who are you?"

"Jim. Sorry, James Kirk." He smiled brightly. "And it wouldn't feel right leaving you out here alone. Can I take you somewhere?"

I scowled. "How do I know you won't murder me?" I frantically pulled my phone out of my pocket, but it seemed to be dead. "Do you have a power bank?" I asked, flashing my now-dead phone.

Jim reached his hand out and I handed him the phone. "Where did you get this dinosaur?"

"What are you talking about? It's the newest model. The Google Pixel."

Jim looked at the phone, then me, then back at the phone. "What day is it?" He asked, looking spooked.

"June 17th, 2017?" I said, confused.

"No," He said, handing me the phone back. "The year is 2232."

I felt all of the color drain from my face and I let my phone drop to the ground. "What?" I staggered back as the tears escaped. "No, it isn't. Its 2017."

"Miss?" He asked, dismounting and walking over to me. "What's your name?"

"A-A-Artemis." I said, shaking. "Artemis Westfall."

He smiled. "Nice name… Well Artemis I promise I'm not some sort of psychopath, so can I please take you somewhere." I felt a bit faint. "Are you alright?" He asked, slowly coming closer, one arm out to catch me if I fell over.

"2232?" I asked. "How the hell did I get here?" He grasped me arm and I didn't do anything. "My family is dead." I realized. "Everyone I knew, they're all dead."

"Artemis?" Jim asked, concern lacing his voice. "Let me take you to my place, I have an extra room. You don't look too good."

"I don't…"

He gently pulled me towards the road. "It's only a few minutes away. Come on…" He placed me on the back of the bike, and then mounted it himself. Just as we were about to pull away, he hopped off, grabbed my phone off the ground, then hopped back on. He did a U-turn and off we went… to where ever he lived.

We pulled up in front of a small house and he parked in the driveway. He got off the bike, then helped me off and led me to the front door. What was I doing? "Wait." I asked, backing up.

James sighed, turning to me. "If I wanted to kidnap you, I would have done it already. I found you on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere with no working phone and you are very agitated. Do you really think I would still hurt you?"

I frowned, but nodded and he opened the door, leading me inside. We walked into the house and when he turned the lights on, I wasn't too impressed. He either was a minimalist, or didn't have the funding to decorate how he wanted to. He led me down a hallway and into a room with just a bed and tiny television. "Here we are." He said. "Please, sleep as much as you need. I have nowhere to be tomorrow, we can talk more about what happened to you then."

I nodded. "Alright, thank you."

He smiled softly. "No problem." He then noticed how dirty my clothes were. "I can also take you to a store to buy more clothes. For tonight, I can give you a t-shirt of mine and some pants then wash your clothes."

I thought that for a moment. "Sure." He nodded and walked off. I took this time to looked around the room. The bedframe seemed to be made of a dark oak paired with a navy blue bedspread. There was a crack in the wall and there seemed to be a button next to it. I wandered over, and pressed it. I jumped back as the panel slid out and became a closet. I was amazed at how much space it saved, then pushed the button again, causing the closet to slide back into the wall.

"Here you go." Jim said, walking in and handing me a grey t-shirt with a pair of grey sweat pants with an adjustable waist.

"Thank you." I said. "Umm, where is your restroom?"

"Oh!" He chuckled. "Follow me." He led me out of the room and down the hallway. We enter the last room on the right. "Here it is." He stood there awkwardly for a moment. "I'll wait in the spare room." He let himself out and the door slid shut behind him. I used the toilet and changed as quickly as possible. I exited the bathroom and made my way down the hallway back into the room I was to stay in. Jim was standing by the bed where a nightstand appeared. "Oh, that was quick." He said, turning to me. "I found an old charger that works with your phone." He pointed and I saw my phone charging on the stand. "Once you wake up, come into the living room. Goodnight." He smiled, then walked past me and closed the door behind him.

I sat on the bed and waited until my phone turned on. Once it turned on, I unlocked it and opened my gallery. I swiped through all of my photos and started bawling. Everyone I knew and loved was dead now. It became too much and I put the phont back down and climbed into bed. Just before I fell asleep, I could of sworn I heard Graham's voice. " _I'm sorry"._ Did he do this on purpose?


	2. Chapter 2

I woke to the sun shining through the sheer white curtain covering a small window. Sitting up, I groaned then reached my arms above my head. I looked around, momentarily confused, then it all came flooding back; the test, the time machine, being sucked into… time? I shook my head, trying to expel those toxic thoughts from my mind. Before I could talk myself out of it, I exited the room and wandered into the living room. Jim was sitting on a black leather couch and stood when he saw me. "Good morning." He said. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yes." I said meekly, my eyes trained on my feet. "Thank you again."

"It's no problem." He surveyed the living room. "Would you like to sit?"

I crossed my arms and swayed slightly. "I'm fine with standing."

He frowned, but nodded. "So, we need to talk about how you got to the side of the road last night."

I placed my hands on my hips and pursed my lips. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well, I have all day." He smirked, sitting on the couch.

"Okay." I inhaled deeply. "I had just finished taking my test for Advanced Physics when my best friend, Graham texted me. He asked me to meet him in one of the labs across campus. I met him in the lab and he showed me that he had built a time machine."

Jim raised his eyebrows. "A time machine?"

I nodded. "A time machine. He claimed that it worked, but it had broken after using it once. He wanted me to have a look at it." I shook my head, smiling to myself. "He claimed it ran on dark matter." I snorted.

"Dark Matter?" Jim demanded, standing abruptly. "How the hell did he manage that in 2017?"

My eyebrows knitted together. "He said he had his sources. He wouldn't tell me who his sources were. I'm sure it was fake."

"No, Artemis," Jim stepped closer to me. "What did it look like?"

"It was a tiny black ball that was about a centimeter in diameter… uhh it glowed a bit." I frowned. "Once the machine was turned on, it stretched into a line…. He kept it in a glass cylinder."

Jim pinched the bridge of his nose. "That was real. We first discovered how to harvest it in 2187, and it was outlawed it 2192 because it opened small back holes. They would tear themselves apart after a couple people were sucked in. They were always presumed dead… but maybe…" He looked me over. "We need to be quiet about this."

"Why?" I demanded. "If the police or government could help me, why wouldn't I let them?"

"They wouldn't be able to help you. " He groaned. "We don't have time machines or anything else like that here. The use of dark matter is punishable only by death. "

"It was that bad?" I asked, frowning. "But I wasn't the one who-"

"It doesn't matter." He sighed, looking me in the eye. 'I'm sorry, but you're stuck here."

I gaped at him. "Who are you to tell me that I have no chance of going home?"

"Artemis, please. You don't understand. I could be arrested as well now that I know this. It's in both of our best interests to have you blend in."

"So what am I supposed to do?" I demanded, throwing my arms up in exasperation. "I have no money, no skillset for this year, no family, no home." I felt a tear fall down my face. "I have nothing. I'm not even wearing my own clothes."

Jim frowned. "You could stay here. Learn about this year, blend in."

"We hardly know each other." I pointed out, wiping my face.

"You know me better than anyone else alive." He smirked.

I shook my head, not knowing what to say. "What would you get out of this?" I asked, looking up at him.

He shrugged. "I'm sure you'll come in handy at some point."

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes. "You make it sound like I am a tool."

"I didn't mean-"He frowned. "Never mind, what do you think?"

I threw my arms up once again. "It's the best deal I've had in centuries apparently."

*1 Year Later*

"James!" I called out. "Jim?" I closed the back door behind me and placed the groceries on the table. I sighed as I realized that he probably wasn't here. I placed my keys on the table and began putting groceries away. I hadn't grabbed too much, so this wouldn't take too long, Just as I finished up, I heard the door open and a very drunk, very bloody Jim walked through the door.

"Jim!" I yelled, shocked. I rushed over to him and helped him over to the dining room able. "What happened to you?"

"Got into a fight." He murmured, turning to me. "Your eyes are gorgeous." He ran his finger down my cheek. "God, how did I ever convince you to move in with me?"

I stood and walked into the kitchen, opened the freezer and grabbed a handful of ice. I reached into the drawer and grabbed a ziplock bag (surprisingly those has endured) then placed the ice inside and brought the makeshift ice pack over to the beaten man on the table. "You know what?" He asked, placing the ice pack on his temple. "I was asked to join Starfleet tonight."

"Oh." I said, frowning . "That's the… exploration thing, right?"

"Yes." He nodded, then winced as his head throbbed. "I think I may do it."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "It may be how my father died, but it sounds… interesting. I think I may enjoy it." He looked me over. "You should think about joining too."

I was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"You should think about doing it too," He took my hand and sat me down next to him. "Over the past year, you have studied the starships that they use, you seem to enjoy it. You're smart. Why don't you do something with your intelligence?"

"How much did you have to drink?"

"They leave tomorrow." Jim said, standing up. "I really hope you decide to come with me." He gave me one last look, then went to bed.

*3 Years Later*

"You are really going to take the Kobayashi Maru again?" I asked, looking at Jim with wide eyes. "The test is impossible to pass."

"Not impossible. " Jim said, flashing his signature smile. "I will pass it."

"Jim," Dr. Leonard McCoy sighed, turning to one of his best friends. "It _is_ impossible. No one has ever passed the test."

"Until today." He smirked. "You ready to make history, Bones?" Jim reached across and pat his friend on the back.

Bones rolled his eyes. "How did you deal with him alone for a year?" We had told Dr. McCoy about my past, and while he was shocked and pitied me, he agreed to stay quiet and be my primary physician.

"I was either drunk or reading." I rolled my eyes. "Usually drunk."

"Hey," Jim pointed at me. "You love me now."

"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin." I pointed out chuckling. "I have a test tonight so I'll see you boys tomorrow."

"You're re-taking your final?" Bones asked, looking slightly concerned. "You already scored a 97%."

"I can get better." I declared. "Good luck."

"You too." Jim said, waving as we walked off in different directions. I walked for about five minutes before entering an immaculate building and making my way into classroom 47E. I nodded to my professor and took my seat. He walked over to me and placed the five page test on my desk. As soon as the papers were out of his hand, I began writing. I was going to score higher than last time. I needed to get at least 98% to be top of the class.

"You cheated?!" I shouted, throwing my pillow at Jim. He had shown up in my room just past midnight to let me know about his hearing. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. "The test is meant to be unbeatable! We don't all live forever, and if you want to be a captain, you need to accept that." I threw myself back onto the other pillow.

"But I found out how to beat it!" He exclaimed, sitting on the bed next to me. "What is so bad about causing my crew to survive?"

"That's not the point of the test!" I shouted. "Look, Jim, I've known you for four years now, we became best friends, I _know_ you. You need to know how to cope when things go wrong."

He rolled his eyes. "Artemis-"

"I'll be at the hearing tomorrow." I told him, rolling over. "Goodnight."

I walked into the packed room and found a seat close to the back just as the hearing began.

Barnett coughed as he began the hearing. "This session has been called to resolve a troubling matter. James T. Kirk, step forward. Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council, suggesting that you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to Regulation One-Seven point three of the Starfleet Code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin, sir?"

Jim looked at the gound for a beat, then met the man's gaze. "Yes, I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly. "

Barnett gestured to a Vulcan dressed in black who stood. "Step forward, please. This is Commander Spock. He's one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobayashi Maru exam for the last four years. Commander? "

Commander Spock came forward and stood behind the podium nest to Jim's. "Cadet Kirk," He began. "You somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine to the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test."

Jim turned to Spock, obviously annoyed. "Your point being?"

"In academic vernacular, you cheated." Barnett interjected.

Jim looked back at me for a moment and I saw a rebelous park in his eyes. "Let me ask you something, I think we all know the answer to. The test itself is a cheat, isn't it? You programmed it to be unwinnable."

Spock gawked at Jim. "Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario. "

Jim turned to Admiarl Barnett. "I don't believe in no-win scenarios."

Spock continued eyeing Jim. "Then, not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson."

Jim lost his self control as he turned to Spock once again. "Please, enlighten me."

Spock smirked. "You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk. A Captain cannot cheat death."

Jim's jaw dropped for a moment. "I of all people?"

Spock turned back to his superior. "Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action, did he not?"

Jim's features darkened slightly. "I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test? "

"Furthermore, you have failed to divine the purpose of the test."

"Enlighten me again. "

Spock's tone turned somber. "The purpose is to experience fear. Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear, and maintain control of oneself and one's crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain. "

Suddenly an aide came into the room, rushed up and handed a note to Barnett. He read it, then turned to everyone in the room. "We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar One immediately. Dismissed. "


	3. Chapter 3

I stepped onto the U.S.S Enterprise and took a deep breath. I was finally getting somewhere in this crazy world. "Hello." A man wearing a blue shirt said, smiling down at me. "What is your occupation on board?"

"Astrometrics Officer." I said, looking up at him. "Where do I report?"

He pointed to a hallway which led off to the right. "There is a map down this hallway, it will lead you to your department, from there you can speak with your department head and they will give you a uniform and assign a cabin."

"Thank you!" I called as I rushed out of the way. Quickly I made my way down the hallway (which was much larger than I originally thought), and found the map. I stared at it for a long moment, attempting to find my department. Once it finally clicked, I brisk fully walked down to my new department and home.

"McCoy to Westfall." My communicator roared to life. "Artemis?"

"Yes?" I asked, pulling it off of my uniform. "Bones?"

"Can you come down to Medbay?" He asked, sounding exhausted. "I could use some extra hands."

"I'll be there in a moment." I said, returning the communicator back into place. I stood from my stool, and then exited my small office. Grimacing, I tried to remember how to get to get to Medbay, but I must admit to having to look at the map a few times. Once I finally found the large Medical Bay doors, I sighed with relief and walked inside. I looked around for a moment, and then spotted Bones. "Dr. McCoy!" I called, waving slightly. He rushed over and grasped my arm.

"I need you to keep an eye on Jim." He drugs me over to a cot where Jim was unconscious.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded, glaring at Bones.

"I needed to sneak him on board," He lowered his voice. "Because he is on academic suspension he isn't supposed to be here. Just sit here and make sure he doesn't have an allergic reaction."

I was sitting there for about half an hour before I heard Chekov's voice come over the monitor. "May I have your attention, please? At twenty-two hundred hours, telemetry detected at an anomaly in the neutral zone. What appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from Wulcan High Command that their planet was experiencing seismic actiwity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan, and to assist in the ewacuations if necessary. We should be arriving at Wulcan within three minutes. Thank you for your time."

Jim jumped up and gasped. "Lightning Storm!"

"Yes," I sighed, pushing him back down. "There's a lightning storm. You need to relax." My eyes wandered down to his hands. "McCoy!" I called. He came over, holding a clipboard.

"Jim how are you- Good god, man!" Bones exclaimed.

Jim looked confused. "What?" He then raised his arms them saw his oversized hands. "Ah! What the hell is this?"

"A reaction to the vaccine!" Bones shouted, pulling out a scanner while Jim rewound Chekov's message. "You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him." He snapped at me.

"We need to stop the ship." Jim growled, standing and rushing out of the room.

"Go on. I'll grab the medicine and catch up " I told McCoy. Shaking my head. He shot me a livid look then took off after the fleeing man.

By the time I caught up with the boys, Jim was shouting at Uhura about…. Something?

"Whombulans." He said slowly, using his enormous hands to try and convey how important the butchered word was. Uhura shook her head as he tried to say it again. "Romulans."

"Romulans?" Uhura asked, looking back at me. I shrugged as Jim nodded excitedly. Just then Bones reappeared, grabbed the hypo from my hand and shoved both into the blonde man's neck.

"Quit stabbing me in the neck!" He shouted as he ran towards the bridge.

"What is going on?" Uhura asked me as we ran at top speed, trying to keep up with the swollen Jim who was still three strides ahead of us.

"I have no idea." I admitted. "Dr. McCoy asked me to come help in the Medical Bay and it just escalated from there."

Just then Jim pushed a button and he fell into the bridge. "Captain!" He shouted.

Bones came up behind Kirk and barley had enough time to stop himself from running into him. "Jim, no!" He groaned.

Jim ignored our protests and had his entire attention trained on the captain. "Captain Pike, we have to stop the ship!"

Captain Pike looked astonished as he realized who was standing in front of him. "Kirk, how the hell did you get on board the Enterprise?!" 

Bones decided to try and do some damage control before Jim got all kicked out of Starfleet. "Captain, this man's under the influence of a severe reaction of a Melvaran flea vaccine, completely delusional. I take full responsibility."

Jim ignored his friend and continued his protest. "Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster. It's being attacked by Romulans. "

Pike sighed. "Romulans? Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy take him back to medical, we'll have words later."

Bones nodded. "Aye Captain."

Bones grabbed Jim's arm, but that didn't stop Kirk from speaking. "Look, sir, that same anomaly.-" 

Spock made his way over to the mess we had unwittingly created and frowned at all of us. "Mister Kirk is not cleared to be aboard this vessel."

Jim pulled himself away from Bones and stepped closer to Spock. "Look, I get it, you're a great orator. I'd love to do it again with you to."

Spock turned to his captain. "I can remove the Cadet?"

Jim took another step closer to Spock. "Try it! This Cadet is trying to save the bridge. "

Spock raised a pointy eyebrow. "By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission? "

Jim shook his head. "It's not a rescue mission, listen, it's an attack."

Spock looked unimpressed. "Based on what facts?"

"That same anomaly, a lightning storm in space that we saw today, also occurred on the day of my birth." Jim explained. "Before a Romulan ship attacked the USS Kelvin." He then turned to Captain Pike. "You know that, sir, I read your dissertation. That ship which had formidable and advanced weaponry was never seen or heard from again. The Kelvin attack to place on the edge of Klingon space and at twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an attack. Forty-seven Klingon war birds destroyed by a Romulan, sir. It was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship."

Pike frowned. "And you know of this Klingon attack how?"

Uhura stepped forward and joined the conversation. "Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself. Kirk's report is accurate."

Jim shot a thankful look towards Uhura, then turned back to Pike. "We're warping into a trap, sir. The Romulans are waiting for us, I promise you that."

Spock turned to the captain. "The Cadet's logic is sound. And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics, we would be wise to accept her conclusion.

Captain Pike leaned back and called out. "Scan Vulcan space, check for any transmissions in Romulan. " 

The technician called back; "Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan."

Pike turned to Uhura. "What about you? Do you speak Romulan, Cadet?"

She nodded. "All three dialects, sir."

Pike smiled slyly. "Uhura, relieve the lieutenant."

Uhura nodded. "Yes sir."

Pike turned to a woman manning another computer. "Hannity, hail the USS Truman."

The woman, name Hannity, frowned. " All the other ships are out of warp, sir, and have arrived at Vulcan, but we seemed to have lost all contact. "

"Sir," Uhura called out. "I pick up no Romulan transmission, or transmission of any kind in the area."

Jim rolled stepped closer to Pike and lowered his voice. "It's because they're being attacked."

Pike thought for a moment. "Shields up, red alert." 

"Here we go." I murmured, watching the screen, ready for anything.

Pike cursed as he received the status of his ship. "Without transporters, we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist Vulcan, and we can't do our job. Mister Kirk, Mister Sulu, Engineer Olson, Miss Westfell, will space-jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear. You'll get inside. You'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship. Mister Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport capabilities, communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet, report what the hell's going on here. And if all else fails, fall back, rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, I'm promoting you to first officer.

Jim frowned. "What?"

Spock matched Jim's expression. "Captain, please, I apologize. The complexities of Human pranks escape me."

Pike smiled. "It's not a prank, Spock. And I'm not the Captain, you are. Let's go."

Jim turned to Pike. "Sir, after we knock out that drill, what happens to you?"

Pike smiled. "Oh, I guess you'll have to come and get me." He then turned to Spock. "Careful with the ship, Spock. She's brand new."

We were suited up and leaving the ship within five minutes. We were all wearing pressurized space suits matching the color of our uniforms. Pike leaned back to us. "We're approaching the drop zone. You have one shot to land on that platform. You may have to fix this to pull your 'chute as late as possible. Three... two... one. Remember, the Enterprise won't be able to beam you back until you turn off that drill. Good luck. " He pulled a lever and we all flew out of the shuttle and began plummeting to Vulcan.

We fell into silence as we fell. I heard Chekov in my earpiece. "Approaching the platform at fifty-eight hundred meters. "

Jim hailed the Enterprise. "Distance to target, five thousand meters."

Sulu joined in. "Forty-two hundred meters to target." 

"Three thousand meters." Olson recited.

"Two thousand meters." I stated, starting to get nervous.

"Pull your chute!" Sulu shouted. Sulu, Jim and I pull our chutes and our bodies slowed from terminal velocity to a moderate speed as we became close to the drill.  
Olson cheered. "Two thousand meters!" 

Jim shook his head and shouted. "C'mon, pull your chute, Olson!"

"Not yet!" Olson whooped. "Fifteen hundred meters!"

"Open your chute!" Sulu cried as Olson got dangerously close to the drill.

" One thousand meters!" Olson cheered as he finally pulled his chute, however it is too late and he slams into the drill. He seems to have a handhold, but his chute was pulled into the energy beam, pulling Olsen in with him.

"Olson!" Kirk yelled as he realized what had just happened. "Kirk to Enterprise, Olson is gone."

I heard Chekov curse in his native tongue, but we had no time to grieve, we needed to finish the lands first and is immediately attacked, Jim lands second, and a large gust of wind grabs his chute, threatening cause another causality on this mission. He slammed his hand into his chest as I landed and his chute was pulled back into the container I rushed over to help him up, but just as I reached down to help, I heard heavy foot steps behind me and whirled around.

I swung my fist, which the Romulan dodged easily, I swore and went low, wrapping my right leg around his kneecap. He was caught off guard and fell heavily to the floor. I grabbed the gun from him and kicked his head, hard. He reached up and cupped it. I knew that he wasn't unconscious, however I couldn't bring myself to shoot him. I rushed over to Jim just as Sulu got there and we help him up.

"Olson had the charges!" Sulu shouts over the roar of the drill.

"I know!" Jim yells back.

"What do we do?" I asked, looking around as more soldiers came out. I swore and yelled back to them. "Disable the drill!" I lowered the gun and shot at the two approaching solders. One fell to the ground and the two rushed me. One came at me with a staff and I hit the ground. As soon as it was over my head, I jumped backup and my fist connected with his face. Just then the other solider came up and I slid under his legs and hopped up behind him. I jumped onto his back and pulled on his neck. I lowered the phaser to his head, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. We fell to the ground and he fell on top of me. I was pinned under the enormous body as the other solider came over to me.

He chuckled, and raised his boot to smash my head in. Just them he was thrown to the side by a phaser blast. I looked over and saw Jim rushing over. "My god, Artemis." He rolled the dead Romulan off of me. "When did you learn to fight?" He helped me up.

I smirked. "I'll tell you later."

He knitted his eyebrows together. "You are slightly terrifying."

"Thanks?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as Sulu called out for help. We rushed over and began shooting the drill. Suddenly the energy beam stopped. "We did it." I sighed, out of breath. Just then a high pitched whirling passed us. We rushed up to the edge and watched the device enter the Earth.

Jim brought his wrist to his mouth. "Kirk to Enterprise. They just launched something at the planet, through the hole they just drilled." As the device fell into the planet, everything became unstable. "Kirk to Enterprise. Beam us outta here!"

Just then, the drill started moving towards the ship and Jim and I jumped back, Sulu fell forward.

"Sulu!" Jim called, then looked at me. "Stay here, get beamed back. I'm sorry." He ran over to the edge and jumped just as the ship materialized around me.

"Damn it!"


	4. Chapter 4

I jumped off the platform and rushed over to the technician. "Get them back here!" I yelled, exasperated.

"I'm trying!" The woman shouted, moving a joystick around frantically. Looking down at the screen I saw two dots moving around frantically. I watched helplessly as the woman kept missing the dots, but just when Chekov came running in screaming the he could do it. He pushed the technician aside and typed a few things in, moving the joystick insanely.

Just then Jim's voice came over the speaker. "Enterprise, where are you!?"

Chekov moved slightly faster as he yelled back. "Hold on, hold on!"

"Now, now, now!" Kirk begged. "Do it now! Now, now, now!"

I could see the beats of sweat on Chekov's head. "Don't move! Hold on! Computating gravitational pull and... Gotcha!"

Jim and Sulu slammed onto the transporter deck as Chekov cried out. "Oh! Yah-my-oo!"

Jim grunted. "God." He stood and moved his shoulder which was no doubt sore.

Sulu turned to Jim. "Thanks."

Jim smiled at him. "No problem."

Just then Spock entered the room with a determined look on his face. "Clear the pad. I'm beaming to the surface."

Jim moved off the pad, but looked confused and worried. "The surface of what? What, are you going down there? Are you nuts? Spock, you can't do that?! "

Spock ignored Jim and looked up at the technician. "Energize." He commanded.

"Spock!" Jim protested, but it was too late. He then turned to me.

I was furious and felt my face flush. I was certain that I had seen him die; I know he needed to help his crew-mate, but still! I looked him over, turned on my heel and rushed out of the room. I wasn't going to deal with this now; we needed to focus on figuring out how to help Vulcan.

I rushed over to the nearest window and watched, helplessly as the planet was pulled inward and sucked into nothing. I hadn't realized that they were going to destroy the entire planet. I felt a tear escape as I realized how many people I had just witnessed die. Five years ago, (at least I perceived it as 5 years) I wouldn't have ever dreamed of visiting the moon, let alone another planet, and the one time I enter the atmosphere, it gets destroyed. I wiped the tear away as I heard the door to the transporter room open. Quickly, I turned and made my way to my cabin, not wanting to be in the way.

As soon as the door behind me closed I ripped the spacesuit off. My muscles screamed as the suit peeled off of me, however I ignored them. I needed to change. I could stay in that a moment longer. I rushed to the closet and grabbed an extra uniform, throwing it on over my underwear. Just as I was covered, Spock's voice came through the loudspeaker. "Good evening. Tonight, we witnessed the death of a planet, lost our captain and are harboring some of the few survivors from Vulcan. We are going to stand by for a day, and hope that Captain Pike contacts us. Thank you for your excellent work and prepare for more survivors to board. Spock out."

I sighed and climbed onto the bed. I wasn't going to bed, but I needed to collect my thoughts. I kept the lights off, hugged my knees to my chest and placed my forehead on them. After about five minutes, I heard the door open. "Artemis?" I heard James ask. "Can I come in?"

I said nothing, but he still came in. "Are you alright?" He walked closer to me. Still, I remained silent. "You have to talk sooner or later." He waited for a beat, then sat on the bed next to me and mimicked my pose. "This isn't too comfortable." He noted quietly.

"It is for me." I said quietly.

"You are alive!" He feigned surprise.

"But I thought I watched you die." I lifted my head up and met his eyes. "You jumped off suspended platform towards almost certain death." He stayed silent and let me continue. "I thought I watched you die."

"But I didn't." He smirked, but the smiled was replaced by a frown as he read my expression. "I needed to go after him. But honestly, I thought that was the end too."

We sat in silence as we digested what could have been, and then I sighed. "I'm sorry for walking out, but you're all I really have." I shook my head. "I was sent here against my will, and you almost ran me over. You've been with me since the start; I can't lose you as well. My family is dead; everyone I grew up with is dead." I put my head back on my knees as we slipped into silence.

I heard him sigh as I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I didn't think about it like that." He admitted. "And I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you, Spock's mother died. They were about to be transported out when the ground she was on got sucked into the black hole."

I frowned and raised my head again. "Should he be commanding the ship then? He might not be thinking right."

"I'll worry about that later." He murmured. "We've had a rough day; we deserve to relax for a while." I had nothing to say, so we once again slipped into silence. "Artemis, do you regret joining Starfleet?" He questioned after the silence began to grow awkward.

I frowned as I thought for a moment. "I haven't really had the time to decide. I doubt this is how any first day is supposed to go." I chuckled. "Their best friend doesn't jump to almost certain death, their acting captain's mother isn't supposed to die; I'm not supposed to be pinned by a Romulan solider." I shook my head. "This is out of control."

Jim's eyes softened and he reached an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close in one swift movement. "So," Jim said and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Where did you learn to fight like that? You've never mentioned taking a class or anything."

"I had a lot of free time." I shrugged.

"I thought that you just studied." He chuckled. "You seemed oddly adept at fighting. When did you practice?"

I smirked. "There was a self-defense class downtown. I asked to work with their trainers. The rest I learned online."

He laughed. "You learned that on your own? Remind me to not piss you off." He squeezed me tighter. "It was pretty badass that you were able to take that enormous Romulan down. Although when he fell back on you…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

I laughed. "I wasn't planning on that." I then yawned quietly and brought a hand to my mouth.

"Why don't you sleep?" He asked, starting to get up.

"I can't." I said, leaning into him so he wouldn't leave. "We need to go and speak to Spock."

"We can wait," He said softly. "It's been a long day."

"Jim," I sighed. "We need to go."

We made it up to the bridge and Kirk sat in the captain's chair. Uhura was just explaining to Spock about how Nero had to be heading to Earth. "Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet's a target."

Spock turned to Kirk and growled. "Out of the chair."

Chekov frowned. "Well, if the Federation is a target, why didn't they destroy us?"

Sulu turned to the young man. "Why would they? Why waste the weapons? You know... we obviously weren't a threat."

Spock suddenly became somber. "That is not it. He said he wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home planet. "

"How the hell did they do that, by the way?" Bones asked, crossing his arms. "Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?"

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer." Spock muttered. "Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time." I felt my blood run cold. _No._

Bones groaned. "Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist. Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?!" I felt his eyes trail towards me.

Spock raised his eyebrows." If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"How poetic." Bones muttered.

I felt Jim's eyes on me as he spoke. "Then, what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?"

"As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defenses." Sulu pointed out.

Jim's features grew dark. "What we need to do is catch up to that ship. Disable it, take it over, and get Pike back."

Spock shook his head. "We are technologically outmatched in every way. A rescue attempt would be illogical."

Jim frowned, but conceded defeat. "Okay, alright. There's got to be some way..."

Spock remained silent for a moment. "...we must gather with the rest of Starfleet, to balance the terms of the next engagement."

"There won't be a next engagement." Jim said. "By the time we've gathered, it'll be too late. But you say he's from the future, knows what's going to happen, then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

Spock's frown deepened. "You are assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. To the contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the USS Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party."

"An alternate reality?" Uhura asked, stunned.

Spock smiled slightly at the woman. "Precisely. Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed. Mr. Sulu, plot a course to the Laurentian system warp factor three."

"Spock, don't do that." Jim protested. "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a, a, a confab is a massive waste of time-"

"Orders issued by Captain Pike when he left-"Spock cut in.

Jim shook with anger, pointing a finger at Spock. Now he got out of the chair and stepped closer to the Vulcan. "He also ordered us to go back and get him. Spock, you are captain now! You have to be-"

"I am aware of my responsibilities, Mister-"

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target." Jim said, lowering his voice.

"That is correct and why I am instructing you to accept the fact that I alone-"Spock growled.

Jim stepped even closer. "I will not allow us to go backwards-"

.  
"Jim!" I hissed, trying to pull him away from the acting Captain.

"Instead of hunting Nero down!" Jim finished, shoving me off.

"Security." Spock snapped. "Escort him out."

Just then two officers rushed towards us and pushed me aside. "Hey!" I shouted, swinging at one of them. The first one grabbed my arm and held it behind my back. That's when I saw Jim fighting a different security guard. I kicked my leg back and made contact with the man's genitals." He released me for a moment and I turned, Jim was lying on the ground, unconscious. Just then Spock came over to me and grabbed my shoulder. 

"Get both of them off this ship." I heard just as I hit the ground. 


	5. Chapter 5

I groaned as the world around me came into view. _Where the hell am I?_ Taking in my surroundings, I concluded that I was in an escape pod. _Spock fucking marooned me?_ I yelled in frustration, then realized that the computer was operational at least. I pressed a button. "Computer, where the hell am I?" My voice was raw and shaky, so I had no idea how long I had been out.

"Location: Delta Vega." The computer recited. "Class-M planet. Unsafe. There is a Starfleet outpost fourteen kilometers to the northwest. Remain in your pod until –"

I grabbed the bag of supplies to my right and popped the pod open. "Today just keeps getting better and better." I groaned. I was trapped in by a ten foot wall of ice. I found a handhold, ignored the burn of the cold and hoisted myself up. I made quick work of the wall and before I knew it I was pulling myself up and over the edge, then laid in the snow for a moment. Just as I stood, I barely heard a voice in the distance.

"Hello?!" I yelled out, squinting into the snow storm. "Is someone there?!" I waited for a response, but got none. I felt my legs go numb and remembered then that I was wearing a dress (and short underneath thankfully). Frowning to myself I shrugged the bag off of my shoulder and pulled out a navy green jacket and some fleece leggings. I shrugged it on, then pulled the leggings on. I was going to request to wear the men's uniform after this. I sighed as I felt my body fill with heat. Digging through the bag, I found a pair of thick gloves, a small beanie, a pocket knife and a communicator.

"Hello?" I heard a hoarse voice call out. I saw a green dot coming closer to me. "Hello!?"

I squinted as I called back. "Over here!" I began walking in a straight line as the dot came closer. "Jim?" I called out. "Is that you?"

"Artemis?" He called back. He broke into a sprint and reached me in about a minute. "Artemis, it is you." He embraced me tightly, then pushed me back and held me at arm's length. "You were kicked off the ship too?" He asked, then he looked bashful. "Obviously. Sorry. Why did you get kicked off?"

"You didn't see me punch a security officer?" I asked, pulling my brows together.

"Why did you punch-"

"Reflex." I said, "When I get pushed, I swing normally. Plus, you are right, they should have been helping Pike." I shook my head. "Let's get moving, if we stand too long, we'll freeze." Jim nodded just as we heard a deep growl behind us. We both turned and began running. A grey creature twice the size of an elephant was running towards us. "Could today get any worse?" I panted as it drew closer. Just before it was upon us, the ground shook, sending James and I to the ground. I yelled out as I hit something hard, but Jim pulled me to my feet. I stole a glance at this creature.

This one was twice as big as the last one, sporting a blood red skin, six legs, two forearms with three fingers on each hand. It had a ling snout which housed it dozens of sharp teeth which the creature showed off as it devoured the first creature. We ran as fast as we could and noticed a large hill. I groaned as my side burned, man I was out of shape, but kept up with Jim. We jumped and slid down the hill, tumbling madly, then saw it, our saving grace. A cave about ten feet tall. We got to our feet and began running just as the creature hit the ground behind us. While it was dazed we sprinted into the cave. I grimaced as the pain in my side grew worse and hoped that the creature was too big for the cave.

Sadly, it slid in behind us so the chase continued. Jim kept pushing me forward as we ran around the icicles which littered the cave. Suddenly I heard Jim yell and turned around only to see that the creature had wrapped it's tongue around Jim's ankle. I shouted his name and grabbed his arm, pulling him as he kicked the creature's tongue. Just as the creature began pulling us closer, a tall man appeared with a torch. He rushed forward and waved the flame in the creature's face, causing it to release Jim and run off.

The man stepped back slowly, making sure the creature didn't come back as I help Jim to his feet. That's when I noticed his pointed ears, giving him away as a Vulcan. Finally he turned around and face up. He inhaled and looked Jim in the eye. "James T. Kirk." He said, seemingly slightly surprised.

Jim frowned and pushed me back slightly. I smacked is hand and asked; "Excuse me?"

" How did you find me?" The Vulcan asked.

" How do you know my name?" Jim countered.

" I have been, and always shall be, your friend." He smiled slightly.

" Wha..." Jim said, shaking his head. "Oh, look... uh, I don't know you."

" I am Spock."

" Bullshit." Jim and I said at the same time.

"Please," Spock said, stepping closer. "Let us speak around my fire. It will keep the beasts away, and I am certain that you need to warm up."

Jim turned back and eyed me. I nodded slightly and we followed the Vulcan deeper into the cave.

We came up on a fire and I planted myself on a rock, propping my feet up as Spock began speaking to Jim. "It is remarkably pleasing to see you again, old friend. Especially after the events of today."

Jim squatted next to me. "Uh, sir I appreciate what you did for me today, but, but if you were Spock you would know we're not friends at all. You hate me, you marooned us here for mutiny."

Spock looked confused. "Mutiny?"

I nodded. "Yes."

" You are not the Captain?" Spock asked, squinting at Jim.

Jim shook his head. "No, no. Umm... you're the Captain. Pike was taken hostage."

Spock nodded." By Nero."

" What do you know about him?" Jim asked.

Frowning Spock shook his head."He is a particularly troubled Romulan. Please, allow me. It will be easier."

Spock comes close to Jim and tried to touch his face.

Jim jumps back slightly. "Whoah, whoah. What are you doing?"

" Our minds. One and together." Spock explained, Before Jim could protest, he touches Jim's face and he closed his eyes. They both stood there silently while I just stared.

"Alright." I murmured, standing. "Where is his food?" Just as I got to my feet, I fell. My side was on fire. Lifting up my jacket, I saw blood. "Dammit." I cursed. I lifted my shirt and assessed the damage. The pocket knife had come open and must had stabbed me when I fell. I rushed over to a corner and found nothing expect a few packages of powdered food. I tore off a piece of my dress and wrapped it around my waist, tying it tightly. Grimacing, I knew it would have to do for now. Just as I turned back, Jim jumped away from Spock.

I see tears in Jim's eyes and rush over, confused as to what just happened. "Forgive me." Spock said. "Emotional transferrance is an effect of the mind meld.

" So you do feel?" Jim asked sincerely.

Spock nodded. "Yes. "

" Going back in time," Jim breathed. "You changed all our lives."

"You are from the future?" I asked, looking at Spock.

He nodded. "Now it is an alternate future, but a future nevertheless."

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but Spock spoke first. "Jim,-" He frowned. "I am sorry to say I have never met you. What is your name?"

"Artemis." I answered.

He nodded. "Jim, Artemis, we must go. There is a Starfleet outpost not far from here."

Jim turned as Spock began to walk out of the cave. "Wait. Where you came from, did I know my father? "

" Yes." Spock answered."You often spoke of him as being your inspiration for joining Starfleet. He proudly lived to see you become Captain of the Enterprise."

Jim smiled to himself. "Captain? "

Spock nodded. "Of a ship we must return you to as soon as possible."

Prying open a door, we eneter a seemingly abandoned Starfleet outpost. "Hello?" Jim called out, slowly leading the way.

A small alien comes up and greets up. He is speaking a foreign tongue, however we realize that he wants us to follow him and comply. He leads us to an open warehouse where he has obviously been living for a while. We walk past some tables then a sleeping man comes into view. The alien then smack the man's legs, causing him to grunt. He removes the scarf from his eyes, then frowns up at us.

" You realize how unacceptable this is?" He demands calmly in a scottish accent.

" Fascinating." Spock breathes.

"What?' Kirk asks, confused.

" Yeah, I'm sure you're just doing your job, but could you not come a wee bit sooner?" He asked, livid. "Six months I've been here, living off Starfleet protein nibs and a promise of a good meal. And I know exactly what's going on here, okay. Punishment, isn't it? Ongoing, for something that was clearly an accident."

" You are Montgomery Scott. " Spock states clearly.

Jim turns to Spock. "You know him?"

The man, Scott, nods. "Aye, that's me. You're in the right place. Unless there's another hard-working, equally starved Starfleet officer around. "

The small alien finally speaks up. "Me."

Scott turns to the small alien. " Keenser, shut up! You don't eat anything. You can eat like a bean, and you're done. I'm talking about food. Real food. But, you're here now, so thank you. Where is it? "

" You are, in fact, the Mister Scott who postulated the theory of transwarp beaming." Spock said.

Scott nodded and pointed at the Vulcan. "That's what I'm talking about. How'd you think I wound up here? I had a little debate with my instructor on the issue of relativistic physics and how it pertains to subspace travel. He seemed to think that the range of transporting something like a, like a grapefruit, was limited to about a hundred miles. I told him that I could not only beam a grapefruit from one planet to the adjacent planet in the same system, which is easy by the way, I could do it with a lifeform. So, I tested it on Admiral Archer's prized beagle.

"Wait," Kirk said, stepping towards Mr. Scott. "I know that dog. What happened to it?"

Mr. Scott shrugged. "I'll tell you when it reappears. I don't know." He frowned. "I do feel guilty about that."

" What if I told you that your transwarp theory was correct?" Spock asked. "That it is indeed possible to beam onto a ship that is travelling at warp speed?"

Mr. Scott scoffed. "I think if that equation had been discovered, I'd have heard about it."

Spock smiled to himself. "The reason you haven't heard about it, Mister Scott, is because you haven't discovered it yet."

Mr. Scott frowned. " I'm a, uh, what..." He took a deep breath. "Are you from the future?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah. He is,"

"We're not." I added.

" Well that's brilliant." Mr. Scott boasted. "Do they still have sandwiches there?"

We made out way to the transport area as Mr. Scott rambled on. We had been brought up to speed by Jim and Spock. "Well, she's a wee bit dodgy." Mr. Scott said. "Shield emitters are totally bandjacked(?), as well as a few other things. In you go. So, the Enterprise has had its maiden voyage, has it? She is one well endowed lady. I'd like to get my hands on her ample nacelles, if you'll pardon the engineering parlance." Mr. Scott then turned to Spock. "Except, the thing is, even if I believed you, right, where you're from, what I've done, I don't, by the way, you're still talking about beaming aboard the Enterprise while she's traveling faster-than-light, without a proper receiving pattern." He then turned to Keenser. "Get off there! It's not a climbing tree!" He redirected his attention back to the Vulcan. " The notion of transwarp beaming is like, trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse." Spock sat down and typed something in to the computer. "What's that?"

" Your equation for achieving transwarp beaming." Spock explained. 

" Imagine that." Mr. Scott murmured. "It never occurred to me to think of space as the thing that was moving."

As Mr. Scott gawked at the equation, Jim turned to Spock. "You're coming with us, right?"

Spock shook his head. "No, Jim. That is not my destiny."

"Your dest..." Jim shook his head. "He... the other Spock is not going to believe me. Only you can explain what's gonna happen."

Spock's expression turned grave. "Under no circumstances, can he be aware of my existence. You must promise me this."

I felt woozy as I felt more blood trickle down my side.

Jim inhaled deeply. "You're telling me I, I can't tell you that I'm following your own orders. Why not? What happens?"

Spock kept his poker face. "Jim, this is one rule you cannot break. To stop Nero, you alone must take command of your ship."

"How?" Jim demanded. "Over your dead body?"

"Preferably not." Spock shook his head. "However, there is Starfleet regulation six-one-nine. Six-one-nine states that any command officer who's emotionally compromised by the mission at hand, must resign said command. "

"Isn't that what I said earlier?" I grumbled.

Jim shot me a look. "So, so you're saying that I have to emotionally compromise you guys?"

"Idiot." I murmur.

" Jim, I just lost my planet." Spock said, letting his emotions show. "I can tell you, I am emotionally compromised. What you must do is get me to show it."

" Aye then, Laddie." Mr. Soctt said, coming over to us. "Live or die, let's get this over with." 

We materialize on the ship. It takes a lot out of me as I feel my side burn. I press into it, hoping that I'm not bleeding any worse.

"Mr. Scott!" I heard Kirk shout. Turning, I saw Mr. Scott stuck in the coolant pipes.

"Mister Scott, can you hear me!" Jim asks. He frowns as Mr. Scott is whooshed away by the current. "Uh... uh.. hold on a second! Oh no. Don't worry I... Oh. No, no!"

I sit on the floor, trying to ctach my breath as Jim runs to the emergency release valve and pressed the button. An automated voice came over a speaker. "Turbine release valve activated."

Mr. Scot falls to the floor. "Are you alright?" I call out.

"My heads buzzing, and I'm soaked, but otherwise I'm fine!" Mr. Scott smiled, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Jim comes over to me as I'm standing up. "Are you alright?" He asks, looking me in the eyes. I nod, opting not to tell him right now, and we rush up to the metal scaffolding to try and make It out as alarms blaze. Just as we've though we made it, we are cornered by four security officers.

"Come with me, cupcake." The balding one says as if it hold some deeper meaning.

We are led onto the bridge where the Spock from out timeline is waiting. "Who are you?" He demands, looking at Mr. Scott.

"I'm with him." He answers vaguely.

"He's with me." Jim reaffirmed.

" We're travelling at warp speed." Spock said, still looking at Mr. Scott. How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?"

" You're the genius," Jim spat. "You figure it out."

" As Acting Captain of this vessel," Spock started. "I order you to answer the question."

Jim smiled as if he was a child. "Well I'm not telling, Acting Captain. What di-" Spock frowned slightly, his mask cracking. "What, now, that doesn't frustrate you, does it? My lack of cooperation. That, that doesn't make you angry?" I was having trouble staying upright at this point.I knew there was blood at my feet, however everyone's eyes were raised to the argument going on.

Spock decides to try a different tactic and turns once again to Mr. Scott. "Are you a member of Starfleet?"

Mr. Scott holds up a finger. "I.. um.. yes. Can I get a towel, please?"

Spock's features darken. "Under penalty of court martial, I order you to explain to me how you were able to beam aboard this ship while moving at warp."

Mr. Scott frowns. "Well..."

" Don't answer him." Jim commanded.

Spock looked dangerous now. "You will answer me."

Mr. Scott takes a step back. "I'd rather not take sides."

Jim saw his opening and went for it. "What is it with you, Spock? Hmm? Your planet was just destroyed, your mother murdered, and you're not even upset."

" If you're presuming that these experiences in any way impede my ability to command this ship, you are mistaken. "

Jim leaned in closer." And yet you were the one who said fear was necessary for command. Did you see his ship? Do you see what he did? "

"Yes, of course I did. "

" So," Jim said, taking another step. "Are you afraid or aren't you?"

" I will not allow you to lecture me about the merits of emotion. "

Jim smiled like a madman. "Then why don't you stop me."

" Step away from me, Mr.-"

Jim took another step. "What is it like not to feel anger or heartbreak or the need to stop at nothing to avenge the death of the woman who gave birth to you?"

" Back away from me... " Spock warned.

" You feel nothing!" Jim spat. "It must not even compute for you! You never loved her!"

Spock roared as he punched Jim in the face. I recoiled, as did Mr. Scott as a fight broke out. Spock grabbed Kirk by the shirt and threw him to the side. He then strode over and thew a couple punches that Jim blocked. Spock then thought lower and caught him square in the stomach, causing him to fall back. Spock roared once again and brought a fist down, meaning to smash Jim's face, but Jim was able to keep him off, but only for a moment as Spock punched him in the thorat, sending him careening back onto a panel. As Jim stood, Spock beat him back down, then wrapped his hand around Jim's throat.

Tears were in my eyes as Spock kept choking Jim. Everyone was silent as we listened to Jim's ragged breathing. Finally Spock's father spoke up. "Spock! "

Spock released the man and stepped back. He seemed terrified of himself for a moment, then took a step back. Jim coughed as oxygen reached his lungs once again. We stood in silence for a long moment as Jim stood back up. " I am no longer fit for duty." Spock began. "I hereby relinquish my command, based on the fact that I have been emotionally compromised. Please note the time and date in the ship's log."  
Spock then leaves, and his father follows.

We stood in silence for a moment, I waved on my feet, barely catching myself as Mr. Scott yelled. "I like this ship! You know, it's exciting."

Bones frowned disapprovingly. "Well, congratulations, Jim. Now we've got no Captain and no goddamn first officer to replace him."

Jim looks at his friend grimly. "Yeah we do." Jim walked over and sat in the captain's chair."

"What?" Dr. McCoy asked, comfused.

Sulu turned to the doctor. "Pike made him first officer."

Bones rolled his eyes as I made a face at him. "You've got to be kidding me."

" Thanks for the support." Jim said flatly.

Bones noticed the blood running down my side and pulled me away. As we left I heard Jim's voice over the speakers."Attention crew of the Enterprise, this is James Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to Acting Captain. I know you were all expecting to regroup with fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in ten minutes. Either we're going down, or they are. Kirk out."


	6. Chapter 6

"Artemis." Bones tsked. "You do realize how easy of a fix this would have been if to you had come straight here." I frowned and blushed slightly as he helped me out of my blood-stained clothes. I grimaced as the torn, blood stained dress was pulled from my body. A scab had begun to form and as he pulled, I began bleeding more. He looked me over and frowned. "You've lost a lot of blood. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and see what the damage is."

He pulled me off of the bed and had I stand, raising my arms above my head. Just then, Jim pushed through the 'privacy curtain' and turned an insane shade of red. I frowned. "Jim, the curtain was up for a reason."

"What happened to you?" He asked as Dr. McCoy began washing the wound with an alcohol wipe.

I grimaced. "Fell on a knife." I shrugged, "It's an easy fix."

Bones grunted. "I said it _would_ have been an easy fix, but you've lost a lot of blood. Due to your…origins, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving you a transfusion. So it'll be bed rest while your body regenerates." I winced as the wipe hit the open flesh. "You will have a scar." He added.

Jim looked my body over, either checking for other injuries or just…looking. I blushed as he spoke. "Spock and I are going to the Romulan ship. We are getting Pike back. I just thought I'd let you…" He sighed. "Both of you know. " I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a finger. "I _will_ be back, we can talk then. I need to go." And with that he turned around and strode out of the room.

"He's got it bad." Bones murmured, motioning for me to sit back on the table.

"Hmmm?" I asked, looking down at the man.

The doctor stood and raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't take a doctor to diagnose what lover boy's got."

I felt my face redden as I protested. "No, we've been, he just…" I shook my head, giving up. "It's complicated."

"I get it." Bones said. "You're holding out for someone who has long since passed." He sighed. "Sorry, I know you had a life, but there is no way to back."

"But what if there was?" I asked as Bones fished around for the correct medical tool. I almost slipped up out the elder Spock; however I found a way that I could ask the same question. "If the Romulans could destroy a whole planet with a singularity, isn't possible that they have some form of dark matter and can open a rip in space and time. Also, they came here from the future, so I'm not the only person to survive time-travel."

Bones frowned. "You've been here for five years. You've become a member or Starfleet; you've made your own family, what's so bad here?"

I frowned, not sure about the answer. "I don't belong. I've altered the course of all of your lives, why should I stay? How don't I know that I'm not the one who caused Nero to be here just because I came through a wormhole?"

"Did you ever think about how your friend got the dark matter?" Bones asked, running a tool along my side. I grimaced as the skin came back together, but welcomed the relief. "We didn't learn how to harvest it until 2187. How the hell did it show up in 2017?"

"I'm not sure." I admitted.

"Someone had to go back and give it to him." Bones said, examining the healed skin. "Someone else altered our lives; it's not entirely your fault."

"Thanks." I grunted. "Let me go and grab you a uniform. " Bones said, "What size?"

"Actually I think I want to wear the men's uniform now." I smiled slightly. "After being marooned on an ice planet, having to climb a 10 foot ice wall, taking down Romulan solider and running from a bloody thirsty creature I think it's best if I have pants."

Bones chuckled. "Alright." I gave him my measurements and he returned after a few minutes with a uniform matching his. "Here you go." He handed the outfit to me. "Once you get dressed, we can go to the transporter room and wait for Jim and Spock."

I nodded he stepped out giving me some privacy. I got dressed quickly and stepped out from behind the curtain. He led me down to the transporter room just as Jim, Spock and Pike appeared on the ship. Just as I was about to breathe a side of relief, they ran past me, and out of the room. We quickly followed and made it just as Jim began speaking. "Hail them now."

"Aye." Chekov nodded.

Just then Nero, captain of the rogue Romulan ship from the future appeared onscreen. He looked livid, however Jim spoke calmly. "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Your ship is compromised. You're too close to the singularity to escape without assistance, which we will provide.

Spock leaned towards Jim. "Captain, what are you doing? "

"You show them compassion may be the only way to earn peace with Romulus." Jim replied in a hushed tone. "It's logic, Spock. Thought you'd like that."

"No," Spock replied. "Not really. Not this time."

Nero sneered at the pair. "I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times. I would rather die in agony than accept assistance from you."

"You got it." Jim smiled brightly. "Arm phasers, fire everything we got."

"Yes, sir." Sulu said and we locked onto the enemy ship. Sulu's face remained void of expression; however I knew he was as satisfied as everyone onboard when the Enterprise sent the Romulans far, far away from here. 

"Sulu," Jim boasted. "Let's go home!"

"Yes, sir!" Sulu pressed a few buttons, and then pushed the lever up. Despite this, we drew closer and closer to the wormhole.

"Why aren't we at warp?" Jim demanded, making the blood in my body go cold.

"We are, sir. " Chekov clarified.

Jim leaned down and pressed a button on screen. "Kirk to engineering. Get us out of here, Scotty."

"You bet your arse, Captain." Scotty said over the intercom. A moment later he came back on. "Captain the gravity, well, has got us!"

"Go to maximum warp. Push it!" Jim said as I internally face palmed. Did he really think Scotty wasn't trying?

"I'm giving her all that she's got, Captain!" Scotty shouted back.

The bridge began cracking and shaking. I grasped the console in front of me." All she's got isn't good enough." Jim said, stating the obvious. "What else you got?"

"Okay." Scotty was silent for a moment. "If we eject the core and detonate, the blast could be enough to push us away! I cannot promise anything, though!"

The bridge shook even more. "Do it, do it, do it!" Jim shouted.

It was silent and unchanging for a moment. Then suddenly we shook once more and debris shot around us. I felt us be thrown forward; causing almost everyone to stumble as we finally escaped the gravity pull and shot off back to Earth.

Once we got our bearings, we didn't have a restful moment, despite doctor's orders for me. We had to repair most of the computers and much of the floors. I assisted with the mechanical repairs and before I knew it we were back on Earth. Jim and I went to our old house; I fell asleep on the ride and woke up in my old bed.

Confused, I stood and walked over to the duffel bag on the floor. I pulled out my white nightgown changing quickly. I then noticed ajar door and made my way over to it. Peeking my head out, I saw an empty house. I pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped out silently. I silently padded down to the master bedroom and pushed the door open Jim was fast asleep, bare chest rising and falling evenly. I watched him for a moment, then knocked on the door. He snored loudly, then jumped up. "Artemis, my god, you almost put me into cardiac arrest."

"I'm sorry," I stepped into the room. "I was just…" I shrugged. "It was jarring to wakeup back here. SO much has happened."

Jim sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I know, trust me." He chuckled. "When did you fall on a knife?"

"Somewhere on Delta Vega. I'm not too sure when fell on it, I only know that when we were in the cave, I was bleeding." I walked closer and leaned on the bedframe. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it before."

"Come here." Jim said, sleep still filling his voice. I honored his request and walked closer. "It has been a long few days,"

"You're right." I said. "Captain."

He chuckled. "It has a ring to it. But we need to speak."

I raised an eyebrow. "About?"

"The other Spock, the black hole, your role, time travel…" He paused and took a breath. "Us."

I took a shaky breath. "Well now I know I'm not the only one who survived time travel and is stuck here. The other Spock made no mention of trying to get back to his time or even, making an attempt." I shook my head. "What would my life had been if I hadn't been sent here? What would your life be like? Have I ruined your life?"

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me even closer. I smelt a tinge of alcohol on his breath. "You haven't ruined anything. You've enhanced it." He tried to pull me into bed and I pulled back.

"Jim, you've been drinking."

"Just smidge. I promise, I'm just a little buzzed." He smiled. "Please, come closer. When I was on that ship, I almost died. You were my one regret. The fact that I….we…." He trailed off. "I am very good at sleeping with women, but not speaking to someone I actually…"

He trailed off and I let him pull me into his lap. He stopped trying to tell me what he thought, and just leaned in and placed the ghost of a kiss on my lips. "Jim," I breathed. "Are you sure you want to start something?"

"Are you?" He countered in a whispered.

I felt something pull at my heart. I wasn't sure if it was guilt, nerves, or what I leaned in and we kissed again. This time it wasn't soft and tender, it was hungry and searching for more. I wrapped my arms around his neck, I pulled him closer, and he wrapped his arms tighter around me. His teeth found my lower lip and my body tightened. "Jim," I breathed, "As much as I want this," I took a breath as he kissed my neck. "I can't have sex with you right now." I forced out while my wits were still about me.

"Then just stay." He murmured, his lips finding mine once again. "Stay here, we can have our night alone before we have to go back to our lives."

He pulled me deeper into the bed, and I went. Once we finally broke the kiss, I laid my head his bare chest and he played with my hair. "Jim?" I asked.

"Hmm?" He replied and I felt his chest rumble.

"Why did this happen to me?" I asked. "Why did I get thrown through space, almost get run over by you and end up here?"

"At this point, is it a bad thing?" Jim asked, kissing the top of my head.

"No." I murmured. "Just suspicions."

I waited for a response, but all I received was a light snore in response.

I smiled, and settled in next to Jim, not worrying about shipping back out tomorrow, just enjoying tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke in Jim's bed, alone. I sat up and stretched, then lay back down. It was still dark outside, so I knew we weren't late…yet. Standing, I walked back to my room and found my old Pixel. I grasped it, and held down the power button. The screen lit up, and my smiling face along with…his. I looked at the screen, my heart breaking slightly. Despite the fact that he is long dead, I still feel as though I am betraying him. I was there one moment, with him, my family, my school, and gone in an instant. Now, I've found something I lost, so why do I feel so… dirty? I loved last night, and I may love James, but… it's difficult and odd.

"Artemis?" Jim asked, walking in. I jumped ten feet, pulled from my thoughts. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah." I sighed, putting the phone away. "What time is it?"

"0400." He answered. "I was about to come and wake you."

"Have you sobered up?' I asked, turning away from him and grabbing my bag off the floor. I placed it on the bed and pulled out a pair of jeans, a shirt and my black leather jacket.

"I was buzzed, not drunk." He reiterated. "But the answer is yes. " I pulled my nightgown over my head and pulled on my jeans. "Hey," he said softly. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." I answered, praying that he wasn't asking me to forget last night.

"Keep your top on when you're around me. You look way too good to resist." He smiled deviously and rushed off as I threw my nightgown at him.

Once I was dressed, I packed my bag and we climbed onto the bike. I had my small duffel bag strapped securely to my back and hugged the man sitting in front of me. "Ready to go?" He asked, turning his head slightly.

"As ready as I will ever be."

We climbed onto the Enterprise and went our separate ways. I walked towards my office, and he went to the bridge. Once I was in my office, I sat down and pulled my old phone out. It still had a full battery and I unlocked it quickly. Opening the gallery, I looked down at the photos and allowed my sorrow to show. A tear escaped my eyes as Jim's voice came over the speakers. He gave some speech about our mission, which was to try and find a suitable planet for the surviving Vulcans to inhabit. I pushed the message to the back of my mind and swiped through the photographs.

I threw the phone down as a photograph of my little sister and I came into view. She was seven the last time I saw her, and looked up to me for everything. I couldn't stand to look at her smiling face, knowing that she no longer existed. She was long past dead, and I was here, living it up. I grabbed a PADD (their version of a tablet) and logged onto my Starfleet account. I gave myself higher clearance and searched her name.

 _Beatrice Westfall._ Her entire life popped onto my screen. Her birth certificate… diploma…college grades… marriage certificate… birth certificates for my nephew and niece, twins. I chuckled and read through her accomplishments. Valedictorian in both high school and college, she became a doctor and married at the age of 23, had the twins at 26 and finished medical school at 31. A photograph of her graduating with her husband, and children popped on screen and I began bawling. She bore a striking similarity to me, but she was much prettier. Her hair was perfect, her make-up was always impeccable.

Tears were cascading down my face, but I didn't care. Next, I typed in her daughter's name. _Emilia Winters._ Her entire life came onto my screen. Her short, terrible life. When she was 15, she was expelled from school for selling cocaine to the students. She was pregnant by 17, and gave birth to a crack-addicted baby who died when he was eight hours old. She jumped off a bridge after finding out she was pregnant again at the age of 19. A photograph of her bruised, broken dead body popped onto screen. I wiped the tears away from my face, and then typed in my nephew's name.

 _Elliot Winters._ I smiled as I saw he passed at the ripe old age of 93. He married at 29, had five kids by 34, and became a mechanic. His wife was strawberry blonde, had tan skin and the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. He looked like my father; I frowned and typed my own name in. As a cadet, I had no access to any of this, so I was shocked to find that my story became a national one.

The lab had blown up, but Graham had survived. He had half of his face burned off, and was kicked out of school, and became the prime suspect in my investigation. When no one could find anything, my case went cold, however my father never stopped looking. Finally I typed in _his_ name.

 _Tristan Swanson._ He passed when he was 75, married at 25… I frowned; he only waited two years after I went missing. I squinted at the wedding photo, and then had to fight the urge to through the PADD across the room. It was his 'ex', Isabelle Thorne. Immediately I picked my Pixel up, unlocked it and changed my wallpaper. I turned it off before I deleted everything and threw it on the corner of the table.

A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped out of the seat. "Sorry," Jim said form behind me. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Why aren't you running the ship?" I asked, wiping my eyes quickly.

"It's 22:35." He said, turning my chair and looking confused. "I went looking for you."

I frowned. "Wow, the day flew by, I'm sorry." I was avoiding looking up at him, knowing that he would see my red puffy eyes.

He reached under my chin and lifted my face gently. "What has you so worked up?" He asked, looking concerned. I handed him the PADD, which had all of my searches on it still opened on it. "You finally found something." He breathed.

"My sister had twins." I sighed. "One committed suicide at the age of 19; the other lived a long and happy life. My ex got married to his ex; two years after I disappeared. Apparently they rekindled their relationship months after I went missing. My sister became a successful doctor and found a life-long love at the age of 23." I reached up and pulled her photograph to the front.

"She looks just like you." He noted, staring at the photograph.

"Life went on beautifully after me." I sighed. "I get plucked out of my time, and thrown into this one, disoriented, missing out on everything, however, there is no justice for me." I put my head on the desk and sighed. "You wanna know the worst part?" I asked, but continued, not waiting for an answer. "I feel bad for being upset."

He reached down and gently grabbed my arm, pulling me into a standing position and pulled me in for a hug. I cried silently, however I knew my heaving chest gave me away. "Come on," he murmured against my head. "Do you want to see the Captain's quarters?" Without waiting for a response, he led me away, through the eerily quiet Starship without another word.

"Jim?" I asked, as he got up. "Hey, what time is it?"

"No idea." He admitted. "But no alarm has gone off; I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Oh," I groaned. "Okay." I must have fallen back asleep because the nest thing I knew he was climbing back into bed. "So… are we like… a thing now?" I asked, sleep killing my filter.

I heard him chuckle warmly. "Well I'd hope so, because last night would be pretty awkward if we weren't."

I rolled over and looked at him, my vision blurry. "You were very accommodating when I first met you."

"I had to be nice." He frowned. "You thought I was going to chop you up into tiny pieces and eat you."

"I'm still not too sure about that." I joked. "You seem pretty crazy. You are 25, the captain of a starship, provoked a Vulcan, got the shit beaten out of you, dropped through the Vulcan atmosphere and destroyed a drill and witnessed the death of a planet. "

"Hey, you jumped too." He defended himself.

"Well, if your friend jumps off a shuttle into a life threatening situation, you have to go too." I chuckled. "My mom would be so proud."

"I'm sure she would be." He said sincerely. "Come on, get some rest. Tomorrow I may need your help on the bridge."

"You can't play favorites." I scolded. "I-"

"Are the best geological grapher on the ship." He said, his tone business-like. "I asked the head of your department and they told me that you should be the one to take. I haven't told anyone that you and I are a thing yet, so that had nothing to do with it." He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Come here. Relax…" He took a deep breath and was out like a light.

*2 Weeks Later*

"Why the hell do we always end up captured, chased or jumping off of cliffs with you?" I demanded as we swung upside down, our entire bodies tied and the blood rushing to my head.

"It appears as though we need to make more calculated decisions in the future. " Spock said, wigging slightly, trying to loosen his restraints.

"I said I was sorry." Jim snapped, swinging from side to side. "I don't know why the phasers didn't work."

"Perhaps it has something to do with their exoskeletons." Spock offered. "However, if you had taken my advice and proceeded with stealth instead of announcing our presence-"

"I know- I know!" Jim snapped again, still swinging.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Seriously?"

"There is a sword," he grunted throwing his body weigh more. "And I may be able to cut myself down." He groaned as he swung even farther. Looking up, I noticed that he was getting closer to a what looked like a somewhat sharp cutlass. He swung harder once more and the rope holding him up hit the cutlass. He kept his momentum up and we saw the rope beginning to fray just as we heard a heavy door open.

One of the large aliens walked in and barked a command. A smaller alien walked over to me and began undoing my binds, then noticed Jim still swinging. The smaller one seemed to ask a question and they went and undid Jim's bindings. "Hey!" Jim yelled. "Get your hands… appendages off of me!" Once the bindings were off, they allowed him to fall to the ground, resulting in a loud thud. He jumped to his feet and swung at the alien took the punch without moving. "Ow," Jim said, shaking his hand. "What are you made of?"

Instead of responding, the small alien's middle arm lashed out and caught him square in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Should I be relieved?" I asked, looking at Spock who frowned disapprovingly. "Sorry, horrible sense of humor." The aliens drug Jim out of the room, leaving Spock and I alone. Looking up, I saw Uhura's unconscious body swinging to our left. "Any bright ideas, Spock?" I asked.

"I regret to inform you that I do not have any idea on how to get out of here." Spock replied.

"Great." I groaned. Looking up. I saw that my rope seemed older than the other's. "When I was a child, we had a tire swing in front of the house, my sister and I would spin, and one day the rope snapped, after being worn by us spinning for days. I looked at him. "If you could wriggle an arm out. You could spin me and the rope may break."

"A flawed plan." Spock observed, however began working on getting his hand out. "If the rope does break what will you do?'

"One thing at a time, Spock!" I chastised.

"You're beginning to sound like Kirk." Spock said, smirking. We still hadn't told anyone, but that didn't stop the rumors. As his hand found freedom, he began swinging just as Jim had. Within a few minutes he reached me and grasped the ropes containing me. He attempted to spin me, but failed. After about fifteen tries, I began spinning. It took quite a while, and amazing timing, to get me to spin far enough to do damage to the rope.

After about two hours of this, I felt quite queasy and had passed out twice, but the rope was about to break. "Stop." I told Spock. "I've got it now." Slowly, I stopped spinning and began throwing my weight to the floor. "Just…about…there." I pulled myself down once more and flew to the ground. I attempted to roll, but failed and landed on my head. I groaned as the rest of my body smashed into the stone ground. I wiggled over to the ominous pile of bones, and tried to find something sharp. In found nothing, and sat upright, feeling blood run down my face.

Looking around, I saw nothing that would help me. I leaned against the wall, then jumped back at the heat. "Spock!" I called. "This wall is hot, do you think I could possibly burn the ropes?"

"It is a possibility." He responded. "It is worth trying."

I leaned against the wall, ignoring the pain. I waited for about twenty minutes before the pain became unbearable. I pulled away, tears in my eyes and tested the restraints. They moved slightly, and I smiled, the pain being worth it. I leaned back once again, grimacing, but ready to be free. I pulled my arms apart and inhaled, slowly, but surely, the ropes broke away. I stood and rushed under Spock. "I am going to find something to get you two free," I told him. "Then we can go and get Jim." I

"Please, be quick. I am not certain what they drugged up with, however, Lt. Uhura doesn't seem to be reacting well."

I nodded and jogged over to the door. I pressed my body against the door and pushed with all my might. It budged slightly so I continued. After a minute of intense struggling, I had moved it enough that I could slip out, so I did. The heavy door closed behind me and I was engulfed in almost complete darkness. Squinting, I saw that the path was slanted upward and frowned. We were far, far underground, which explained the heat of the walls. They must have some sort of cooling system in place.

I crouched and rushed up, once again happy that I had a pant uniform instead of the dress. I had no idea if the dust in here was toxic, or even how long we could survive in the atmosphere, so I needed to be quick and smart. I made it to a fork soon enough, and had to make a choice, left or right? I looked down at the ground and saw some lines in the floor indicating that someone was drug to the right. I followed the marks, and quickly found an open room, where a bloody Jim lay with the larger alien above him. I had a choice, either lead them away from Jim, or get Spock and Uhura first.

Jim wasn't in any condition to fight, and I needed back up. I made the hard decision, and crawled past the room. Just as I slid by, I heard something coming. Silently cursing, I found myself darting back to the room that Jim was in and rushing inside. I heard the creature turn, but ducked into a hole in the dirt wall before I was spotted. I waited for a few minutes, then poked my head out. Slowly, I crept out, and looked around. There was nothing in here, expect myself, the alien, and Jim. I silently went out and made my way back to Spock and Uhura. Just as I was about to open the door, I realized something. The hallway was lit by torches. I reached up and stood on my toes, pushing one of the torches up. It fell out of the holder and I jumped out of the way. Grabbing it of ther ground, I pushed the door open and rushed inside. "This was all I could find, Spock." I held the torch up and tried to light the rope on his mid-section. "I'm sorry."

He nodded and cried out when the flames licked his chest, but the rope caught and the flame spread upward, eating the rope away quickly. He fell to the ground and I jumped out of the way. Quickly he removed the burning rope and stood. "I will give you a boost. Please, light the rope teathering Uhura to the ceiling."

He reached down and I stepped onto his hand and he hoisted me high enough to burn the rope. She limply fell to the ground, still unconscious. "Here." I said, handing him the, torch. "I am going to cause a distraction and get Jim, you get Uhura out of here and get beamed out of here, I shouldn't be too far behind."

I rushed over to the door and made quick work of it while he attended to Uhura. I quickly retraced my steps and made it into the room. The alien was still there, looming over the unconscious captain. I went back out to the hallway and caused another torch to fall, this time catching it. With how high up these things were and how dim they were, they couldn't be fond of light. I crept back into the room and got right up behind the creature as it turned.

I shoved the torch in it's… face? At least where I think it's face is and it screeched, jumping back and knocking Jim off of their dirt table. Suddenly it jumped at me and shoved me aside. I shouted as I collided with the wall, but I ducked quickly as it's claw swung above my head and I slid under it. "Jim!" I yelled. "Anytime you want to wake up would be nice!" I got no response as I dove for the torch, waving it in the alien's face. It reared back once again and I kicked at it's legs. The alien didn't move, just screamed in my face.

I hit the ground as it tried to grab at my throat, ready to finish me off. I rolled to the right, and hit the wall. "Are you kidding me?" I groaned, standing and backing away. The alien followed me and I cam up with a plan. I ran from the room, and the creature gave chase. I rushed down the path and opened the heavy door I came out of. Just as the door open all the way, the creature appeared behind me. I held the door there, shaking all over with fear and exhaustion. Just as it reached the door, I ran into the room, causing the door to swing shut on the creature, which caught it, but struggled as the momentum made the door that much more of a shock. I ran and slid under the creature. I sprinted to Jim as the creature screamed, I'm assuming that it was calling for backup.

I reached down and tried to pick Jim up. "My god." I groaned, slinging him across my back. "What do you eat?" I stood, my legs shaking slightly. I walked out of the room and went as fast as I could, my knees buckling under the weight. "At least you're quiet for once." I grumble to myself as I rushed down a hallway, picking randomly, praying that all the tunnels lead up to the surface.

"What-" I heard Jim ask, "Where?"

"Shut up." I grumbled, throwing him to the ground.

"Ouch!" He shouted, frowning.

"'Can you walk?" I asked, keeping an eye out as I heard the aliens howl with rage.

"Uhh.. I think so." He said, getting to his feet.

"Good." I said, rushing ahead of him and making a right. "By the way," I called back. "How much do you weigh?"

"I refused to disclose that information!" He called back, amused.

"Seriously." I frowned. "You are heavier than you look."

"Hey!" He said. "It wasn't a cake walk getting you out of the car and into your bed a few weeks ago."

I stopped running and turned around to face him. "James T Kirk!" I scolded. "Never, ever insinuate that a woman is fat, especially your girlfriend."

He smiled deviously. "It's nice to hear you say that you're my girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's get out of here first. " As if on cue, the alien roared and appeared behind us. "God dammit." I cursed and we took off running.


	8. Chapter 8

We finally made it to an entry point and tossed ourselves out. I waved up at the Enterprise, just as they began beaming us up. We looked around as the ship appeared around us. I sighed in relief as we reached safety. "Where is Spock?" I asked.

"We haven't seen him." The technician said.

My blood ran cold. They haven't come back yet? "Send down some security." Jim ordered. "Be careful." We stepped off the pad as a few armed guards stepped on.

"Also, Lt. Uhura is unconscious." I added.

"She is?" Jim asked, concern passing over his face. "She hadn't come to yet?"

I shook my head. "Spock thinks she was allergic to whatever they drugged us with." I walked out of the transporter room and made my way to sickbay. I walked in and Jim followed close behind.

"Again?" Bones asked, glaring at Jim and me in turn.

"Yeah," I groaned, sitting on the cot. "We also lost Spock this time."

"My god, man." Bones chastised, scanning me first.

"But one of them knocked Jim here out cold." I smirked.

"Good for them." Bones murmured.

"Hey!" Jim protested.

Bones grabbed a few tools and began working on me, and we spoke as if the captain wasn't there. "What happened this time?"

"He provoked the alien species." I shot a look a Jim. "Who then drugged and kidnapped us." I pulled up my shirt and flashed my marks.

Bones, who had been standing behind me, yelped. "What in God's name happened to your back?" Jim rushed back and I heard him gasp as well.

"Burned?" I asked.

"And blue." Jim observed.

"Blue?" I demanded, trying to look at my back.

Bones ran his hand down my back. "It looks like there was a chemical which made your shirt's dye sink into your skin." He prodded a bit more, right before I heard a smack.

"Jim, be nice to the doctor." I chastised. "By the way Bones," I turned and saw my man rubbing his hand. "How much does James weigh?"

"Kirk to Westfall," My communicator went off. "Spock and Uhura still aren't back. Please come over to the bridge."

"I'll be there in a moment." I said back.

"Kirk out." He said, and the line went dead. It had been over three hours since we got back, and security was still searching. I ran most of the way to the bridge.

"Permission to come onto the bridge?" I asked.

"Seriously?" Jim asked, looking at me like I was stupid. "Get over here."

I rolled my eyes and walked over. "So what is going on?"

"We need to make the search party larger," Jim said. "And since you and I have been down there before, I think we need to go."

I nodded. "Alright."

He led me to a security room where we picked up a riffle, then went to the transporter room. We stepped onto the deck. "Energize."

We rushed into the tunnels, keeping the guns pointed in front of us. "I hope this work this time." I said, not bothering or hide my concern.

"Well we're more prepared this time." Jim said, rushing forward.

I followed him as we searched everywhere. We darted up and down tunnels, going in circles more than we'd care to admit. About an hour into the search, Jim turned back to me. "We should go to the surface and call up to see if they found them. Our communicators don't work down here."

I nodded and spun on my heel, retaking our steps. I turned left, and fell on my backside. "Jesus!" I yelled, looking up to see the Vulcan we had been searching for staring down at me. "Spock!" I yelled, starting to get up. "Where's Uh-"

I was cut off by a fist coming down on my face. I threw my arm up, but I was too late, caught off guard. He made contact and I felt blood in my mouth, however when my arm came up, it took some of the damage, saving my teeth. I kicked up and sent him back slightly. Just then Jim came up with the rifle pointed at his first officer.

"Spock," Jim said, "I don't want to shoot you. Back away."

"You will not shoot me." Spock said, not sounding right. "You would have done it already." He lunged at Jim, reaching for his throat. I kicked my leg up and tripped him, but his momentum carried him all the way over to Jim, so they both went crashing to the ground. I climbed on top of Spock and wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to render him unconscious. Reaching back, the Vulcan pulled me off by my shirt and threw me into a wall. I stayed down; dazed for a moment as the air had been forced form my diaphragm. I stood on shaking legs and rushed Spock who was choking Jim once again.

I got low and tackled Spock, and we went flying as I heard Jim cough. "Snap out of it!" I yelled, punching him in the face. "He tried blocking it, but I was faster. I then landed a punch straight to his throat and he gasped for air. I pinned his arms under him and placed my entire weight on his chest. "Spock!" I yelled. "Come on! You know who I am!"

"Jim's whore." He spat. "Yes, I know exactly who you are. You are from the past." I frowned. How did he know that? "Your boyfriend did not even cry before picking up another girl. Neither will Jim." He spat, then head-butted me. I recoiled, falling onto the floor. I rolled back, going for the gun, but Spock grabbed my ankle. "No one in the past missed you, and you will not be missed now."

He pulled me back, his fingers digging into my skin. I kicked his hand with my free foot, but he didn't budge. Just then a foot appeared, kicking Spock straight in the face, knocking him out cold. I went limp, taking a deep breath before pulling my foot away. Jim was standing there, his neck purple and face red. "Sorry," He wheezed. "He really tried to kill me."

"I noticed." I sighed, wiping blood from my face. "What the hell-"I was cut off by Spock jumping up and tackling Jim. The captain cried out and was sent to the floor, dropping his gun. I grabbed the gun and pointed it at Spock's head. "Release him!"

"You will not-"Spock began, but was cut off by me shooting him in the foot. He roared in pain, rearing back and I punched him in the neck, really knocking him out this time.

I walked over to the bleeding Vulcan and lifted his shirt. I began working on his belt as Jim stood. "What are you doing?" He asked as I pulled the belt off. I answered him by binding Spock's hands with the belt. "Oh, smart." Jim breathed.

"Can you carry him?" I asked. "I had a hard enough time carrying you before I got my ass kicked."

"Yeah." Jim said, tossing the unconscious Spock over his shoulder. I grabbed the rifles and we walked in silence for about fifteen minutes. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

I shrugged. "He seemed hell bent on hurting, if not killing us." I said. "When I had the upper hand, he tried to emotionally attack me."

"I heard." Jim said softly. "I'm sorry; I don't know how he found out."

"You didn't tell him?" I asked, confused.

Jim shook his head. "No, I gave him the same story we gave Starfleet, you were stuck in the system until you were an adult than jumped from city to city until you met me."

I frowned. "Is it possible that he was keeping tabs on me?"

"I guess…" Jim said. "Maybe when you did those searches he got an alert."

I shrugged. "I'll ask him later." Right as I said that we made it to an exit. We climbed out, and then contacted the Enterprise.

"Kirk to Enterprise. We found Spock, however we need to place him in a holding cell for now. Lt. Uhura is still missing."

"Actually we have her." Sulu's voice came over the intercom. "She was found fifteen minutes ago and…well we are beaming you up now." Just then we were transported to the ship with more questions than we came down with.

"I swear," Bones said. "I could make a career for myself just by treating you two." He was examining Jim's bruised and swollen neck. "I can take the swelling down, but the rest will have to heal on its own."

"Do whatever you can." Jim wheezed.

"You two look like crap." Bones shook his head.

"Did they ever teach you any bedside manner?" Jim asked.

Bones smiled. "It was never a requirement."

Once Jim was about as healed as he could be, Bones looked at me. "He really did a number on you guys." Bones muttered.

"Any results from his blood?" I asked, "He had to be on something. Jim kicked him in the face and it didn't do much. I shot him in the foot and if I hadn't knocked him out he still would have come after me again."

"Wait-"Bones chuckled. "She knocked him out and you couldn't?"

Jim scowled. "Hey, it's her word against mine."

"You kicked him in the face, I punched his neck." I crossed my arms. "I'm sure Dr. McCoy could match the bruising to my fist."

"Hey," Bones held up his hands. "I'm not getting into this."

He patched me up and sent us on our way. Spock was placed in a medically induced coma until his blood work came back and Uhura was in surgery. The drug used to knock us out had begun eating away at her organs for some reason. Bones had ordered us to go get some rest, but I turned to go to my office. "Artemis." Jim said, not letting go of my hand. "Come on, today we were held hostage and got beaten up multiple times, we should get some sleep."

"Alright." I groaned, allowing him to pull me away. "But let's watch a movie."

"What movie?" He asked as we walked down the hallway.

He shrugged. "You still are catching up on the movies you missed out on, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said. "I finally found a copy of _Avengers: Infinity War_. " I smiled. "Although I still can't seem to find _Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2._ "

"Well it's a start." He said, then coughed.

I frowned, looking up at him. "You okay?"

"Yes," He wheezed. "Just need some made it to the room and were asleep before the opening titles even began.


	9. Chapter 9

An alarm blared and I jumped to my feet, terrified. Jim did the same, and then sighed. He grabbed his communicator and barked into it; "What?"

"It's Spock," Bone's voice came though the speaker. "I need to speak to you. And I assume that Artemis is there so bring her too."

Jim put the communicator down and took a deep breath. "One of the worse things about being captain." He shook his head, and then tossed on a shirt. We got dressed quickly and made our way back down to medical bay where we saw Spock pulling against the restraints and screaming.

"He _was_ poisoned," Dr. McCoy said. "But we have never seen anything like it. We are working on an antidote…" He looked at his screaming patient behind him. "But we are concerned about his heart giving out."

I watched as he writhed in agony. "Isn't he supposed to be in a medically induced coma?" I asked, trying to ignore my screaming friend.

"He is." Bones sighed. "But the drug counteracted that and now…" He gestured to the cot.

I walked over to Spock and looked down at him. "Artemis." He grunted.

"Are you going to attempt to kill me again?" I asked, looking down at him. He shook violently and decided to lean down. He put his hand up and touched my face. Instantly I saw what happened to him, however it was muddled with rage. I felt his anger, his pain and recoiled, falling to the ground. I scrammed away not ashamed of the tears in my eyes and the tremors in my body. Jim picked me up and I swatted at him until he put me down.

"It's in the dust." I told Bones. "They blew the dust in his face, and that's what infected him. Probably Uhura as well… his body… it's on fire. He…" I shuddered. "Feels like he is being burned alive from the inside out."

Bones nodded, and then looked me over briefly. "Do you want a sedative?"

I shook my head, despite the pain and uncontrollable tears from the fear. "No, I'll be-"I felt something stab into my neck. "Hey!"

"It's a light sedative." Bones said, shaking his head. "It'll put you to sleep and dull your senses."

"i… I said… I said no. No, means…No is…" I slurred, almost forgetting how to speak. "No is like nuuu, it means…what does it mean?" I brought my finger to my chin as I thought. "It doesn't mean… yes. It means…"

"I'll go put her in bed." Jim nodded at Bones and mouthed thank you.

"Jim! You… you told him not nuuu?" I asked. "Why would you?"

"Come on," he said, pulling my arm. 

"I would say…. Not yes but you wouldn't like that. Oh look, the good doctor's shirt is blue." I grabbed Bone's shirt which was suddenly very soft and vibrant.

"Is she high?" Jim asked, still trying to pull me away.

"Her body chemistry is slightly different from ours. " Bones explained, "Because she is from a different time by a couple hundred years. I can't be sure how everything will affect her, but yes, she seems to be high." Bones swatted at my hands and I recoiled.

"James, where should we go?" I asked as he pulled me away.

"A magical land." He said enthusiastically.

"Are we going to Disneyland?" I asked, excited.

Jim smiled. "Yes."

"We are?" I asked as he led me down a hallway. "Isn't this an odd place for Disneyland to be?"

He shook his head. "We are going to the new one in… Japan."

"Japan?" I asked. "But I don't speak …. Japan-iesse-ly."

"It's okay," He said. "We are almost there."

"Already?" I gawked at him. "What kind of plane are we on if we can get to Japanica so quickly?"

"A starship." He explained.

I frowned. "We are on a starship? Psssh, more like a….disk ship?" I frowned. "It's not shaped like a star." 

"No, it's called a star ship because we fly among the stars." He brought me over to a view area and showed me the night sky. "See?"

"It's amazing." I sighed. "All of this is unbelievable. Time travel, Disneyland, starships shaped like disks." I smiled to myself. "And I was concerned that my life would end in some mediocre way, but here I am, among the stars. I wish my sister was here." I sighed, leaning on Jim. "Hey, Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"My legs are asleep." I told him.

As a response, he picked me up bridal style and turned away from the window, but my eyes stayed on the stars. What price was I going to have to pay for being here?

I woke in Jim's room, alone. My head pounded and my face burned, but other than that I was alright. "Computer, what time is it?" I asked, standing.

"10:42." The computer responded.

Why was I asleep so late? I stood and walked out of the room, looking around. Shrugging, I made my way to medical bay and stormed in. "You drugged me!" I yelled at Bones who was asleep at the desk. He didn't move so I walked over and pushed his elbow out from under him. His head hit the desk and he jumped up. "My God, woman, what is wrong with you?" He rubbed his head.

"Maybe being an asshole is a side effect of being drugged." I snapped, sitting on the desk.

"In my defense it was Captain's orders." Bones groaned.

"To make me high?"

He shook his head. "Your chemistry is different. I didn't know. We were able to isolate the pathogen in the dirt and create an antidote which Spock and Uhura are receiving now." A confused look crossed his features. "Why weren't you and Kirk affected?"

I shrugged. "Maybe we didn't breathe enough in."

The doctor looked sideways at me. "I think you still need to get a vaccine as well, just in case."

"Bones don't waste it on me." I smiled. "I would have shown some kind of symptom already, right?"

He frowned. "I guess, but I still think-"

"Alright." I rolled my eyes. "Please just make it quick. I don't like needles."

Dr. McCoy nodded and led me over to my usual cot. I hopped up and waited until he grabbed a syringe filled with a brown liquid. "We." I said, looking away as he injected it into me.

"Good, now hopefully you won't go crazy on us." Bones gripped. "You're scary enough as is."

"Wait," I frowned. "You _hope_ it works."

"This is an untested, unapproved vaccine." Bones frowned. "We had to synthetize it here, a few hours ago."

I rubbed my arm. "Well, thanks, I hope."

He grunted and walked away, still upset that I woke him up. Hopping off the cot, I looked over at the unconscious Spock, still concerned about his condition. He looked like he wasn't in as much pain, but his features were still swollen from our fight. I felt bad for shooting him in the foot, but it was necessary. He wasn't himself. Just as I was about to leave, Bones called out. "Can you tell Jim to come down here?"

"Yeah." I said, waving a hand over my head as I left the room, heading directly to the bridge. "Permission to come aboard?" I asked.

"Artemis." Jim sighed. "Yes, yes, the answer is always yes." He ushered me over. "How are you feeling?"

I smacked his arm. "Like I was drugged."

He rubbed his arm, "You needed it."

"Bones wants-"I was cut off by an alarm going off as the ship stopped, throwing everyone forward.

Jim's attention turned to Sulu, who had begun pressing buttons like crazy. "What was that?"

"We fell out of warp." Sulu answered. "I don't know why."

"We never know why." Jim grumbled, sitting back down in the chair. He pressed a button. "Mr. Scott, what happened?"

"The warp core overheated, we have coolant leak," He said, sounding winded. "We are patching it now and should be back on track soon."

"Alright." Jim said, pressing another button and ending the conversation. "Artemis, sorry, what?"

"Bones needs to see you." I informed him.

He frowned. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, you just need a vaccine since we were stuck down on the planet for a while The virus was in the dirt. And I don't know if you remember, but we were underground, you know, surrounded by dirt."

He nodded his thanks then had to turn to his console, trying to do damage control. I frowned, but left the bridge, heading to my office. Once I made it inside I pulled out a map of the planet we had visited yesterday. I began writing a detailed description of the way the planet worked.

Just as I got to the final paragraph, a few hours later, the door opened. "Hey," Jim said. "Are you busy?" He sounded kind of funny.

"Are you alright?" I asked, turning around.

"Not feeling the best." He said. "I'm going to bed. Just thought I'd let you know." He sniffled.

I nodded and he left, not looking good at all. I frowned, finished up my work, which took about an hour, then decided to and check on Jim. I walked to his room and let myself in. He was passed out on the bed, snoring contently. I went over to the closet and grabbed my nightgown, then walked into the bathroom to change. I placed the nightgown on the counter, then reached over and turned on the light. I then got undressed and tossed my nightgown. I looked into the mirror and screamed as I saw Jim's face appear behind me. "Jim," I sighed, "You scared-"I was cut off by him grabbing my hair. I yelled out as he drug me out of the bathroom. I tried to gain some traction, but failed terribly.

He threw me into the closet and it too me a minute to get my bearings. I rolled to my left as he caught my hair once again. "Westfall to McCoy!" I shrieked. "BONES GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Just then Jim threw me onto the bed and wrapped his fingers around my throat.

"What?" Bones called. "Why, what's wrong?"

"HELP!" I wheezed and brought my leg up to Jim's genitals. He winced, but didn't release me. I kicked again, with as much force as I could muster as my vision starting going. "Jim!" I wheezed. He released slightly and I reached my leg up and kicked his stomach and pushed him off. He fell to the ground as the air my lungs had been screaming for came rushing in. I rolled off the bed and crawled to the door, almost making it before getting a swift kick to the stomach. I fell, rolling over and looking up at him, tears in my eyes.

"Just get it over with." I begged, beaten. After days of fighting everyone, I was done; I couldn't take it anymore, especially when it was him. "I know it isn't you, please, just kill me!"

He smiled sickly and took out a knife, "I intend to."

*Third person view*

Jim walked into his room and was astounded by the mess which had been made. "Computer, who was in here?"

"Artemis Westfall." The computer answered.

He frowned, his heart beginning to race. "Kirk to Westfall." He waited a moment, but heard nothing back. "Kirk to Westfall." His heart was pounding. "Computer, locate Artemis Westfall."

"Miss Westfall is currently in the Medical Bay." The computer replied.

James rushed out of the room and down the long well-lit hallway. "Kirk to McCoy. What the hell happened?"

"Kind of busy here." Bones replied, sounding exhausted. "McCoy out."

Jim ran even faster down to Medical Bay and burst through the doors, almost smashing into them. He rushed over to the surgery area and used his clearance as Captain to gain access. Artemis was lying to the table, pale as can be, obviously close to death. "Wha-"

"Out!" Bones yelled, barely looking up from the table. "OUT!"

Jim backed out, confused and terrified. He pulled one of the cots over by the door and propped himself up in order to look inside the room. He sat there for three hours before they wheeled her to a different area and out of sight. Dr. McCoy came out, bloody and bruised, looking exhausted. "You're still here." He observed. Bones began pulling off his scrubs and glared at the Captain. "What the hell happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Jim asked, standing. "I was about to ask you the same thing. I go to my room and it's trashed, and then try to call Artemis, who doesn't answer, and find her here!" Jim's face was red. "What happened?"

Bones sat in a chair and leaned back. "She called me from your room, claiming that you attacked her."

Jim's face grew even redder as his temper flared. "Why in the hell would I-"

"That's why I asked." McCoy snapped. "She fought me off, seemed delirious, but her body was decomposing and heart sprung a leak." He shook his head. "I think that virus affected her differently. Her organs had begun to deteriorate just like Spock and Uhura."

"How are they… all three of them?" Jim asked.

The doctor sighed and closed his eyes. "Uhura is almost completely healed, Spock is resting in his room and is back on duty tomorrow and Artemis… she is beginning treatment and should be awake tomorrow."

"Why didn't you call me when Spock came to?" Jim questioned, looking at Bones warily. [

"He asked me not to." He stood and shook his head. "I need sleep; I've been awake for almost two days. I'm a doctor, not a machine."

"Can you do me a favor first?" Jim asked. Bones was about to retort, but Jim kept speaking. "Let me back there to wait for her to wake up."

Bones nodded, and then left, swaying slightly as Jim rushed back and found a seat next to Artemis' unconscious body. "My god," He sighed. "This is a nightmare."


	10. Chapter 10

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. Everything burned, but was working. Lifting an arm, I noticed the I.V.s which were hanging from my arm. I went to pull them out, but stopped myself, still confused as to where I was. I rubbed my eyes, trying to take in my surroundings. I seemed to be in the Medical bay, but I didn't remember much else. I tried to swing my legs off, but there was a heavy weight on my left leg. I looked out and saw a blonde head passed out and snoring slightly. I shook my leg, but he just snored louder. Reaching down, I pulled his hair until he woke up.

He jumped off of me, and looked over, his eyes red and throbbing. "Hey you." He said softly. I jumped back from his touch and he frowned. "You're alright…" He grabbed my hand and held it. "It's alright. You're recovering from surgery, you inhaled much more of the dust than Uhura or Spock, and it bonded with the vaccine and actually made it worse." He shook his head. "But you're okay now." He rubbed his thumb along my wrist. "Spock and Uhura are also on the mend, Spock is actually on duty right now." He took a deep breath. "I spoke with Spock and he told me that the illness cause vivid hallucinations as well as an uncontrollable rage." He shook his head and averted his eyes. "It causes you to experience your worst fear."

"So," I began, my voice horase. "You weren't with me last night?"

I could have sworn I saw a tear in his eye. "No, I wasn't."

I nodded as Spock came in. "I see that you are awake now."

"I am." I wheezed.

"I was sorry to hear about your illness." Spock sat down. "I must also apologize for my behavior as of late. Please understand that I wasn't myself."

"I understand." I nodded. "However I have one question."

"Please." Spock said, waiting.

"How did you know so much about me?"

Spock frowned slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"In the tunnels," I began. "You spoke about my past."

"In 2017?" Spock asked, watching my reaction.

"Keep your voice down!" Jim stage-whispered.

"I did not know that it was a secret." Spock seemed confused. "You left your old phone on your desk." He held up my old Pixel which Jim snatched from him quickly.

"There was a fingerprint password on it." I said, appalled.

"The computer unlocked it after ten seconds." Spock informed me.

I frowned. "Why did you snoop?"

"I was trying to find out whose it was. There was a stock photograph on the screen." He explained. "Then I saw your text messages from 2017 and did some digging. You do know forgoring documents to sign up for Starfleet is a capitol offense, correct?"

I gawked at the Vulcan. "What were we supposed to do?" I demanded.

"Contact the proper authorities?" Spock offered, turning to Jim. "Not harbor a missing person for a year, then forge documents to join Starfleet."

Jim scowled. "Did you forget that time travel is practically impossible and hasrvesting dark matter is illegal?"

"I did not." Spock informed him. "However I am certain that if you explained yourself to-"

I shook my head. "I am happy with how things turned out."

"However illegal?" Spock asked, raising a pointed brow.

I nodded. "I had nothing else to lose. When I was…spat here, I had no home, family, or friends. I had nothing except the guy who almost ran me over. Now I have a purpose, a reason. Please don't turn me in."

"Vulcans cannot lie." Spock recited.

"You're half human!" Jim shouted, exasperated.

"That changes nothing." Spock stated, although he looked torn. "I was raised a vulcan.

"Can you look the other way?" I begged. "I've work so hard to get here."

Spock stood. "I will consult with an old friend." He walked out of the room.

I sighed and leaned back into the bed. "When will I be on my feet again?"

"I'll be right back." He said, chasing after Spock.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my chart which was at the end of the bed. The screen lit up as I touched it and I looked it over. My heart had practically exploded in my chest, my organs had begun eating themselves away, and I had been delirious. I frowned as I scrolled through all of the paperwork. I should be ready to be discharged by noon today apparently. It was already ten, so I began pulling the I.V.s out. Just as I sat up, Jim came back looked annoyed. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Getting dressed." I answered, grabbing a bag with a uniform in it.

He walked closely behind me. "You haven't been discharged yet."

"I am discharging myself." I told him. "I was scheduled to be discharged in an hour or two. I'm fine." I walked into the bathroom and stripped just as he opened the door. "Get out!" I yelled, pushing him out and closing the door. I got dressed and stepped out of the bathroom, past Jim and made my way to the exit.

"Artemis I order you-" Jim yelled, chasing after me.

"To get back to work, I know and thank you." I finished, waving behind me. I hear an exhausted sigh, then he ctaches up to me. "Thank you though," I said, turning to him. He raised an eyebrow which showed he had no idea what I was talking about. "For staying."

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a supply closet. "Do you understand that you almost died?" He demanded. "I thought you were dead when I saw you in surgery." Now, I know I was seeing tears in his eyes. "And you believed that _I_ was the one who put you there."

"Jim-" I sighed. "I…" I had no idea what to say.

He just pulled me into a hug. I recoiled slightly, but then relaxed into him. "I thought the next time I was going to hold you, you'd be cold, limp, lifeless." He squeezed me even tighter and I felt his lip on my hair. "Please, just take care of your health. I can't…" He trailed off, not finishing his statement.

I wrapped my arms around him as well, trying to ignore the cleaning supplies. "I'm so-"

"Don't say it. It wasn't anyone's fault." He kissed the top of my head and we exited the closet.

For the next three weeks, everything was normal. Spock had spoken to Spock Prime and decided to not turn James and I in. I had my check-ups, worked on mapping the new planets we surveyed and went down with Jim, Spock and Uhura to check planets. Uhura and Spock also recovered, then went public with their relationship, as did Jim and I. We surveyed four planets before being told stop by a Starfleet base close by. We docked and everyone was excited to get some time off of the ship, including Jim and I.

"Hey!" I called out, leaning into the room. "Are you ready yet?"

"Yes," Jim yelled back, walking out of the bathroom. "I once waited over an hour for you!"

"Only complaining every 30 seconds!" I reminded him. "Come on! We are only going to be here for two days!"

"I know," He said, walking out of the room and wrapping his arm around my waist. "I have reservations at this amazing restaurant tonight." He said, rubbing my back. "So we need to go find some formal attire."

We walked off the starship and into the city. I inhaled deeply as we walked from store to store just being morons. We got chased out of more stores than we will ever admit and had an amazing day. Once the artificial sun began to set, we walked into a high-end clothing store and purchased some formal attire.

Jim grabbed a typical charcoal suit, and I ended up with a (much too expensive) strapless royal blue dress paired with strappy wedges. We changed in the store and carried our other clothes out. Jim led me to a extremely fancy restaurant. We walked and the hostess walked over to us. "Kirk." Jim said.

"Party of three?" She asked.

He made a face. "Yes."

"Follow me." She said, gesturing to us.

I leaned in to Jim and whispered. "Three?"

Jim frowned. "You know I love you, right?"

We rounded the corner and there sat Wynonna Kirk, Jim's mother. I felt my blood run cold. "James Tiberius Kirk!" I scolded in a hushed tone. "What the hell did you- Hello!" I smiled brightly as we got within earshot. I leaned back into Jim and whispered. "I am going to _kill_ you."


	11. Chapter 11

Jim pulled a chair out for me, and I sat, smoothing my dress out. "You look gorgeous." I complimented his mother.

She smiled brightly. "Oh no, you are stunning."

I blushed slightly as Jim sat down, looking between the two of us. "So," Jim began. "This is my mother, Winona Kirk, Mom, this is Artemis."

"So _this_ is Artemis." Winona smiled. "The one that lived with you?"

"The very same." Jim smiled, picking up the menu.

"Why did you keep her hidden?" She asked, picking up her menu.

I raised an eyebrow. "I was hidden?"

Jim coughed and muttered someone under his breath. Winona reached over and smacked his arm. "James, behave."

I chuckled under my breath as he exhaled deeply. "Mom-"

"No," She smiled, looking at me. "Well, how did you guys get together?"

"It's a long, complicated story," I smiled, looking at the ground.

"You weren't together while living together?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

I shook my head. "No, It was after joining Starfleet." I clarified. "It kind of just… happened. It was after Nero was dealt with, but before we came home."

She nodded. "I am relieved that Nero didn't take Jim like he took George." She seemed to be far away. Jim reached under the table and held my hand as the waiter came in and took our orders. The rest of the meal went off fine, we made small talk, but then dessert happened.

The waiter dropped off dessert, and just as I took a bite Winona turned to Jim. "So is a proposal in sight?" I gasped and choked on my food slightly before chasing it down with some wine. Jim had a small smirk on his face once he saw my reaction, but Winona looked slightly concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." I coughed. "Fine, just swallowed wrong."

"Well, mom," Jim began. "We haven't really thought about that yet…"

"Our careers just began." I added.

Winona smiled. "Didn't stop George and I."

"Well… we haven't been together that long…" I trailed off not sure where to go with this.

Winona shook her head. "You lived together for a year, and have known each other for 5… you know, Artemis, you didn't tell me where you were from."

I felt the blood rush from my face. On one hand I didn't want to lie to her, but on the other I didn't want to tell the truth right now. "It's pretty complicated."

"I'm sure-" Winona began, but Jim cut her off.

"It isn't something that we should discuss here." He smiled to show his mother to show that he would talk about it later. "But, I'm sorry, we should be getting back." He looked at the check and pulled out his wallet.

"I've already got it covered." Winona said, plopping down a stack of cash.

"Oh," I said, pulling my purse up. "No, please-"

Jim frowned and pushed the stack of cash back to his mother and grabbed the check. "No."

"Jim," His mother frowned. "I hardly see you as it is, please-"

"No." Jim said. "If you had brought dear, old step-dad, then _he_ could have paid. But I am paying." He shoved the receipt in his pocket and stood. "Thank you for coming tonight, mom." She stood and he wrapped her in a hug. She hugged him back as I stood. She came over to me and I was expecting a handshake, but she pulled me straight into a hug. I hugged back awkwardly and she pulled away.

"Make an honest man out of him, please." Winona whispered, then walked away.

I turned to Jim. "You ass." I mouthed, as he wrapped his arm around me. I swatted at his chest with my clutch. He chuckled and led me over to the hostess. He reached into his pocket and patted around. "What's wrong?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"The bill is gone." He said, patting all of his pockets. "Excuse me, but do you have another copy of the check for-" He pointed our table. "That table."

The hostess tapped a few things on her tablet and shook her head. "It's been taken care of."

Jim rolled his eyes and thanked the hostess leading me outside where I began laughing uncontrollably. "Were you just-" I took a deep breath. "Pick-pocketed by your mother?"

"I think so." He watched me, letting me get it all out. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Don't be pouty." I laughed, squeezing his face. "It's funny." We began walking back to the ship as I calmed down. "So do you have and issue with _dear old step-dad_?"

"It's a long story." Jim avoided.

I nodded. "I have time if you want to tell me."

"Once we get back." He said. "I want to make sure no one over hears."

I leaned into him. "Alright."

He stopped and leaned down, giving me a long tender kiss. "Let's get back." He breathed, pulling away. I pulled him back in and kissed him once more. He smiled and we made our way back to the ship.

Author's note:

I apologize for the short chapter, but I am still getting over the illness and this is my only day off for the next week and I was spending it with family. For better updates, or to contact me (either with wuestions or just for a conversation) follow me on twitter Pandora_Dawson. Thank you for reading this and understanding!


	12. Hospital

A/N to the guest whom informed me about the wrong year being used; my apologies, I looked up the year that the movie took place online (literally just googled it) and forgot to factor in that the movie started literally at the moment of his birth. Thank you for pointing that out and I will be adjusting it accordingly. Thank you.

Author's Note Cont.

Apologies for not posting yesterday, and today, but my sister was hospitalized last night and is being transported out of town today. My mother is terminally ill as well so please understand that I am balancing that, two full time jobs, as well as trying to get enough sleep and trying to keep everything under control. I will post when I can, for more updates please check my Twitter (listed in the Last chapter), thank you for understanding and being patient.


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